My Little Princess
by E.C. Cullen
Summary: Losing her daughter in a crowd, Bella finds her in the arms of Prince Edward. Now, the three of them have to face the paparazzi, the world, and their true feelings for each other. All human, canon pairings, set in present day. ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue

Prologue

**Prologue**

I had no clue where my daughter had run off to. Running a hand wearily across my face, I scanned the ever-growing crowd, searching desperately for her. Why I had thought it would be okay to bring her with me, I don't remember.

Slipping in and out of the throngs of people, my eyes darted frantically, looking for my baby girl. She was only five and she was my life.

Throughout my search I didn't spot anyone her age who had lightly tanned skin, a head full of dark, silky curls, and an infectious smile that lit up her bottomless brown eyes.

When I heard a collective gasp from the crowd and then a bunch of women making loving and adoring sounds, I briefly wondered if they were fawning all over her. I shoved my way to the front of the crowd and stopped dead in my tracks at what I saw.

There was Prince Edward. Holding my little girl.


	2. 1

Prologue

_Last Time: _There was Prince Edward. Holding my little girl.

**1**

I couldn't move. My jaw fell involuntarily from my sealed lips and I was hopeless as to try to pick it up from the ground.

I had never followed any matter revolving around the royal family. Call it jealousy or contempt but anyone who thought they were better than anyone else—simply because of money or status or looks—I automatically deemed not worthy of my time. So not knowing that this crowd—parade—of people were here, simply because Prince Edward was doing some shopping, came as no surprise.

But standing there, looking back and forth between my outrageously adorable daughter and the stunningly handsome prince, I felt out of place. As odd as it was, I felt like I had no claim to my baby girl.

"Mommy!" Rae squealed, squirming around in the prince's grasp. Immediately I was blinded by lights popcorning around me. The paparazzi were having a field day and in no way did I want Rae to be tomorrow's cover.

"Rae!" I gasped, knowing that she had put me in an extremely humiliating situation.

I refused to take my eyes off her face, not brave enough to swim in the murky green waters that were Prince Edward's eyes.

"Is this your mommy?" I heard him ask Rae in a velvety smooth voice. I almost laughed when I thought that his voice would put her to sleep faster than any lullaby.

Rae broke out into a grin, her teeth glittering in the bright sun light, with one little noticeable gap in the front.

She lunged at me, throwing the prince off guard. "Careful there, sweetheart," he smiled at me, patting her head lightly. I knew at this point I had to look up. His intense stare caught me off guard and I knew I looked like a deer in the headlights. "Feisty one, isn't she?"

I might not follow the royal family religiously, but I still knew what was expected of me, so I quickly curtsied before him. "Yes, Your Highness, she is."

Gazing up at him from under my lashes, too afraid to meet him head on, I saw him straighten up into a stiffer posture. It was nice to see him lax and carefree with Rae but my display of "worship" quickly reminded him of our standings in this world—I was a commoner, and he was the prince of England, destined to become king. Our worlds didn't mix; they shouldn't have even collided.

He nodded at me, returning the formalities.

I quickly gathered Rae up into my arms, ready to rush away the second it deemed appropriate, but he seemed reluctant to let me leave.

"Can I get your name?" he smiled. It was devastatingly handsome and I cringed at thinking something so beautiful was directed my way.

"Isabella," I replied curtly, straightening up my posture. I might be shy, but I had pride.

"Aren't you going to ask what my name is?" he grinned playfully.

I almost wanted to play along. Almost. "I already know your name," I stated.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Edward Cullen," I responded quickly. I didn't know what game he was playing, but I certainly didn't have time for it.

"You seem to have forgotten a rather significant detail," he smiled smugly.

"Prince is a title, not a name. And _people_ who like to flaunt that are rather pretentious and full of themselves, so if you don't mind, I'd rather not waste my time with someone like that."

Those around me looked at me like I had committed a sin, but I was sick of people like _Prince_ Edward making those like me feel beneath themselves. I was just as worthy as him.

"Isabella!" he called out, as I dashed in and out of the crowds of people. It seemed as if all of Europe had come out to see his glorious majesty. Real ego-booster there.

I was working on a group with children, trying to cut through them without stepping on any of their toes, when I felt a firm grasp on my elbow. "Wait," he breathed out.

Halting, I turned around to face him, my head looking at the suddenly interesting concrete. The way the bland gray mixes with the tiny pebbles and shards of unknown material…purely fascinating.

"Look at me," he said, frustrated.

I lifted my eyes, slowly, carefully, afraid that I would see _his_ eyes instead. The images floated around in my head. The command was so familiar, as if it had been emblazoned into my mind. Every sensor in my body was reminding me to breathe. My mind was telling me that it wasn't the same man, that it was _impossible_ for it to be the same man.

I calmed myself down enough to look up at him, though I could hardly meet his eyes.

"You're still not looking _at_ me," he whispered, as if sensing that this moment that had just occurred was too fragile and too delicate to speak even an octave higher.

Swallowing back the lump in my throat, and trying to wash away the rivers that demanded to be released from the seas in my eyes, I met his eyes head on. Equal to equal.

His brush was so delicate, I hardly recognized it was his fingertip, but it gently caressed over my skin, right under my eyes, before pulling away. "You're crying," he stated, confused.

"It's nothing," I croaked out.

I love my daughter, but she had a big mouth and now was one of the times I wished it wasn't illegal to snap pieces of tape over her lips just to keep her quiet.

"Grandpa said a man did something bad to mommy," Rae whispered to Edward, reaching her hands out to him.

I stared in amazement when he took her from my arms, and held her in his own, as if she _was_ his own.

"And did grandpa ever tell you what was so bad about what this man did?" he asked Rae, though staring straight at me, his eyes hard, and unreadable.

She giggled, her eyes shining brightly. At that moment, she reminded me why I named her what I did. Through the experience—though I would hardly qualify it as something anyone deserved to go through—she was my beacon of hope. She was the one thing I got out of the whole turmoil. She was my shining ray that peaked out in the clouds. When she came to me, there seemed to be a sun after all.

"Story time!" she yelled, smiling crazily like a little girl who has been told the world is her playground.

Edward turned his attention back toward her. "How would you like to have story time in a castle?" he asked, tickling her.

"Your Highness," I started, before he interrupted me.

"Call me Edward."

I stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating his suggestion, decided simply to not address him at all, and continued. "I don't think we can. I have to get Rae back home. It's getting late and she still hasn't eaten dinner or taken a nap."

He waved his hand, excusing my excuses, and took my hand in his. I gasped at the contact and he looked down at me, warily, but I simply nodded, and forced out a tight smile.

"I'd like to continue our conversation away from prying eyes and listening ears," he explained, as he led us over to his car.

Shocked into speechlessness once again, I looked at his silver, sparkling Volvo. As nice as it was, it was no Lamborghini.

"You don't drive something more…ostentatious?" I questioned.

He laughed and I think it was the first time I saw him being so loose and carefree around _me_.

"Believe me, I have cars that are ostentatious, but I do like to try to blend in."

Now it was my turn to laugh. Him. Blend in. That, my friends, is what I call a joke.

Getting into the passenger side of the vehicle, I turned in my seat as I watched him buckle in Rae. She was smiling and giggling the whole time. But when he went to clasp in the buckle, it must have accidentally pinched her, because she broke into hysterics and started whimpering.

I wanted to laugh, knowing how much of a drama queen she was, but instead I sat in stilled silence as I watched him comfort her, amazed.

"Rae, baby, it's okay. Can you show me where it hurts?" he asked, smoothing out her rumpled hair.

She nodded, whipping furiously at her eyes, and lifted up her shirt, to show him her side. I leaned into the back and pulled her shirt down a little, chuckling at her. The innocence of childhood had made her practically take off her shirt, when in reality her pinched skin was to the side of her belly.

"Do you want me to kiss it?" he asked her.

She sniffled and nodded.

It was probably the most endearing sight I had ever seen and I felt like an invader. It was as if they were having a private moment. Like a child would have with her daddy. And then the guilt stabbed at me.

Rae looked at him with such loving eyes that I knew she was taken with him. But he was a prince. And the clock strikes at midnight. This was a one-day fairytale Rae and I were living, and when we woke up tomorrow morning, we would each have to go back to our mundane ways, as commoners.

I was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea. I didn't want Rae to become so attached to him, only for him to leave her.

But when I looked back and forth between the two, and saw the smiles on each of their faces, I almost believed that we could work. That being a prince and being a commoner could be an obstacle we could overcome.

"There we go, my little princess," I heard him whisper, right before the door slammed shut, reminding me that fairytales didn't belong in reality.


	3. 2

Prologue

_Last Time: _"There we go, my little princess," I heard him whisper, right before the door slammed shut, reminding me that fairytales didn't belong in reality.

**A/N: **This story is set in present day. Also the ages of the characters are as follows: Edward (26), Bella (23), Alice (24), Jasper (24), Emmett (27), Rosalie (25), and Rae (5). Lastly, Edward, Alice, and Rosalie are all siblings (Cullen), Jasper (Whitlock) and Emmett (McCarty) are married to their respective halves.

Also, just a reminder that if you go to my profile page and click on my homepage, it will lead you to my myspace. From there you can go under my 'Pics' and find (so far) a picture of Rae! (It is under the album, My Little Princess Photos.)

**2**

After navigating through the hoards of screaming people and flashing lights, we finally made it to a winding road and silence fell upon us. Aside from Rae babbling on and on, Edward and I remained quiet. What was there to say?

"So do you always do this?" I asked, turning my gaze away from the outside world to chance a glance at him.

The corners of his mouth turned upward into what most would say was a smile, but I could tell was the faint outline of a smirk. "Do what?" he questioned.

"Pick up commoners and bring them back to your 'castle'?" What do you call the place he lives in? A home?

"Recently, yes. It has to do with this charity project I've been working on."

"We're a _charity_ project?" I asked, anger seeping into my words, my face contorting into a furious red mask.

He glanced over at me and his smile immediately fell. "It was just a joke."

I rolled my eyes and looked back out the window, noticing that we were nearing our destination. "It wasn't funny," I muttered.

All my life I felt like "the charity case." His words hit too close to home. My mom had died of cancer when I was six and since then too many people had tried to mother me, thinking they were giving me what I had lost out on. Did they realize I had memories? That I still remembered the sound of her voice and the brightness of her smile? That they could never replace her? No, they didn't, because they never really knew me. I was just another cause they were investing some time into.

Edward's hand slowly came into my peripheral view and latched onto my own, gently giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry," he whispered, a small smile gracing his face, though his eyes showed worry and hesitation.

I looked down at our entwined hands. I knew it was meant as a friendly gesture, but the physical contact was still overwhelming.

I nodded to let him know it was fine, and removed my hand from his grasp. It had been almost six years and I still hadn't gotten over it. Physical contact still scared me, but even worse, it scared those around me. Those who knew what happened were afraid to touch me. Even Rae, my baby, my little girl, knew that sometimes when she cried I couldn't physically be there for her. And sometimes that physical contact helped you mentally, but I couldn't do any of it. Not on days when something triggered the memories so clearly that they flashed in front of my eyes like a slow paced movie. Like Edward's words, _Look at me_. That was today's trigger.

Edward interrupted my thoughts and I turned to look at him, trying to recompose my face. "The real reason I'm doing this is because of Rae. As I was coming out of the store, I made my way over to the crowd. All the little kids were giggling like maniacs and curtseying or bowing. All except Rae. When I got to her she wore the most serious face and told me that if I wanted her to treat me like a prince I would first have to take her to a castle." He chuckled at the last part, shaking his head.

I smiled tightly, glancing back at Rae who had pulled my old Barbie dolls out of the tiny backpack she carried everywhere. Every night before I tucked Rae into bed _she_ told _me_ a story. It was always about princes and princesses and happy endings. And me, never wanting to crush her dreams, let her believe that anything was possible.

"It's that easy, huh?" I grinned. "Just treat you like your normal and it irks you enough that you're willing to make _our_ wishes _your _command?"

He laughed and it was so rich and deep that I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "Not exactly." He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Trying again, he said, "I honestly don't know how to explain this, and I don't want you to think of me as some sort of pedophile, but there's something infectious about Rae. She reminds me of my niece and I just sort of couldn't help myself. She's special, you know. I swear if she asked for the world, it would be hard to tell her no."

I stared straight ahead, smiling slightly. I knew exactly what he meant. I knew how special she was and not for a single day did I take her for granted. I just wished I didn't have to say no, but our current funds, or lack there of, had me uttering that word frequently. "She's my life," I whispered.

"I feel like she's already becoming a part of mine," he agreed.

"She does that to people," I laughed. "Just wheedles her way in."

Before either of us could say anything else, Rae spoke up, her voice serious in concentration. "Mister Edward, these cars have been following us the whole entire time." Her eyes were wide and darting around frantically.

He chuckled and looked over at me to wink. "Don't worry about them, Rae. They're just following us to protect you."

"Me?" Rae gasped. "You mean like a real princess."

"Of course," he laughed.

"This is so cool. Mommy, what do you think grandpa will say?"

"I don't know, Rae. We'll just have to wait until we get back home."

"Mister Edward, do you think they would bow to me like they do for you?"

"Rae!" I yelled. "Remember what I taught you. Everyone is equal. You better not get out of this car asking people to bow down to you and giving them orders."

"Sorry," she muttered. "I just thought it would be cool. _So_ really cool."

She looked so sad, like a kid who lost her puppy. I knew her question was innocent, but I was a firm believer in equality and if I taught Rae anything I wanted it to be equal opportunity and that no one was better than her.

"How about this Rae. You can pretend to be queen while your Barbies bow down to you?" At least then it would be fake people.

She went back to playing with her dolls, making Barbie, me, and making Ken, Edward. Edward and I laughed as we heard her essentially telling us that we had to bow down to her.

"You know, Rae is extremely perceptive," he noted.

"She is extremely bright," I agreed, thinking about how she was able to pick up on the fact that cars were following us. "So how many people follow you a day?" I questioned, craning my neck to count the number of cars that were really only following us to protect him.

"Too many to count," he muttered.

"Did you have to fight any of them off in order to allow us to come with you?"

"You do realize they are under my orders?"

"Don't be such a smart ass. Besides, everyone knows the Royal Family is just a figurehead. It's not like you have any political say."

His face turned serious, almost contemplative. "In all honesty, I've never done something like this in my life. Every day has been planned out. Every step I take has been captured. You and Rae were so incredibly different from anyone I know. I guess I wanted to take a chance, no matter if you leak this to the press afterward, or what anyone advisor might think."

"Ah, so we were your liberation?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Just to let you know, this is probably the most spontaneous thing Rae and I have ever done either. I honestly don't know why I agreed to get in a car with a complete stranger, especially after I keep teaching Rae over and over again to never do something like that."

Edward appeared to be mock hurt. "I am _not_ a stranger."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Yes, you are," I argued as we slowly crept our way toward the gates of Buckingham Palace. I shielded my eyes as lights continually went off. Rae started screaming when people threw themselves against the car, but as soon as it started, it ended. Guards and security pushed people out of the way, leading us to the inside.

After parking the car, Edward unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face me. "You know who I am. Everyone knows who I am. I am not a stranger."

I sighed. He really had to get over this whole prince thing. He wasn't as high and mighty as he appeared to be. "Knowing your name and knowing you as a person are two completely separate things."

"Oh, come on! My life is a soap opera. You know me, admit it."

I raised my eyebrows. So he was going to play the media card. "You know what, that's right!" I joked. "You're the prince who's with a different girl every weekend! How dare I forget."

He sent a glare my way. "So you don't know me then," he relented.

"You mean the rumors aren't true?" I laughed.

"No comment," he mumbled as he swiftly got out of the car.

Before I could even make my way to get Rae out of the car, Edward already had. Surprisingly, she hadn't insisted on being let down. Like me, she was a girl who was fiercely independent and not often did she want to be held. Right now, though, she was cuddled into Edward's arms, her face in the crook of his neck. He was whispering unintelligible words to her and she lifted her head to smile adoringly at him. It was like a scene out of a movie and I wished I could capture this moment with a camera.

"Ma'am?"

I whipped around to see a straight-as-a-nail man dressed in a suit staring inquisitively at me.

I gulped, out of nerves, and responded. "Yes?"

"Will you be needing me to retrieve your things?" he questioned, motioning toward the car.

Confused, I looked into the car to see Rae's few toys scattered in the back.

"That's okay," I smiled. "I can get it."

I moved to get her things when a hand on the small of my back stopped me. Turning around I saw Edward looking at me impatiently. "It's his job, Bella. Come on, let's get inside before they get anymore shots of Rae." So he was concerned, too. At least that was comforting, but still, I felt the need to get Rae's things on my own. She was my daughter; no one else was obliged to take care of her or to pick up after her.

Smiling gently at Edward, I continued toward the car and picked up her things quickly.

When I was next to Edward again, we were immediately surrounded by security. "For Rae," he explained. I nodded my head, looking at her to see that she was practically asleep. "So you couldn't listen to me, huh?" he grinned.

"She's my daughter. She's my job, no one else's."

His gaze turned toward hers and he nodded. "I've always wondered what it would be like to have to care for someone else. I'm so used to having everything done for me. I guess I just want to feel useful."

"You do realize you're a prince? You govern millions of people."

"As you've said, I'm merely a figurehead. My decisions don't count so much as my presence."

"Well, I can certainly say you've had quite a presence with my daughter."

"Really?" he gleamed, looking toward me for confirmation.

"She's never had a father," I told him quietly. "I think she's really taken with you. Just do me a favor?"

"Hmm?" he questioned, while gazing down at her, running his hand through her hair.

"Don't break her heart."

**A/N:** So there is chapter 2. It was mostly a filler to give some background. Also, if you've checked out the picture of Rae, I really want to know what you think. You need to picture her hair slightly more curly and with tanner skin, but isn't she adorable?

For _The New Year's List_ readers, the update will be soon, it's just a harder story to write. As for this story, expect chapter 3 tomorrow maybe?

I'm off to write, hopefully you're off to review…


	4. 3

Prologue

_Last Time: _"Don't break her heart."

**A/N: **A lot of people told me that they could not view the photo of Rae. I fixed it! Just try clicking on homepage again and it will lead you to a new site. I haven't had much time to do anything with it except the basics, but check it out and once you get there, click on the Photo Gallery tab, which will lead you to two albums. Click on the My Little Princess one.

Lastly, my LLS, amblovestoread, who has a forum over at with my other story, The New Year's List, on it! Thank her and then go to the site to check it out (you might have to register first, though)!

**3**

Looking at Buckingham Palace was like being in outer space and looking down at the world. There was so much to see, so many places to look, so much beauty and life, yet it still had this old world feel to it. I knew it wasn't built until the mid to late 1700s but it seemed too perfect to be so old.

The main residence of the royal family seemed to contradict the ways of today. While it was old but had a new feeling, the formalities of today were new but felt old. We weren't required to practically kiss the royals' feet like King Henry VIII insisted, but we still had to bow down. How degrading! It actually made me happy that Rae had some nerve in her to refuse the opulent respect that was requested by the royals.

If Rae ever did get her wish and became a princess I knew newspapers and magazines would be flying off the shelves with the latest uproar caused by "Princess Rae". I laughed, thinking of my little monster who was now sleeping peacefully, like an angel. What a deceitful and conniving little thing she was!

"What's so funny?" I faintly heard Edward ask.

I turned to look at him, drawing my attention away from Rae and the handful that she was. "Just thinking," I replied.

He chuckled, a weird look glinting his eyes. "I've known you for an hour and you are already the most infuriating person I know."

"Excuse me?" I questioned. "I think that is the most unwarranted bias against me _ever_. While we're throwing out insults let me grace your royal ass with something: you're arrogant. Too arrogant. I realize you're a prince, but what gives you the right to think you're better than anyone else?" I huffed.

He let me rant, his eyebrows raised until I stopped. "You finished?"

"Do you want me to go on?" I threatened.

"Um, no. But I really didn't mean it as an insult. It was actually meant to be some sort of twisted compliment but you always jump to the wrong conclusions, never letting me finish."

I stared at him carefully, eyes narrowed. "Okay, fine. Continue on then."

"All I meant was you're so quiet and pensive, and I can usually deal with that, but with you, it's stronger than a want—almost a _need_—to know what you're thinking. That's all I meant by infuriating."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say. I was too focused on finding flaws with everyone else and I knew it was a weakness of mine…just one of many. They always say that putting someone else down makes you feel better, but for me that wasn't it at all. It was that by finding flaws with someone else, it allowed me to take focus away from my own flaws; in a way, it blinded me from reality.

"Bella," Edward started, nervously. "This is going to sound ridiculous," he chocked out.

I kept my eyes focused on my feet, shuffling them along the walkway as we made our way closer to the entrance. "Just spit it out," I urged.

"Okay," he swallowed, completely stopping his step and bringing his one free arm out to stop me, too. "I want to do something, but I need your help."

"_My_ help? Edward, whatever it is, I'm sure there are more qualified people…"

"No, no. You aren't understanding."

"Elaborating might help then," I muttered.

He smiled slightly, hearing my rambling. "You don't have the world watching your every move. I want help doing something."

"You've already said that," I reminded him.

He groaned and bent his head back. "I know, but that's the point. I don't know what I want to do. I've never done something just to do it and frankly, I have no clue how to. I feel like a robot and the world is commanding my every move and emotion."

"So you want to feel what it's like to _live_?" I asked. This was dangerous territory and I really wish he hadn't suddenly picked up on the habit of spontaneity.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, relief washing over his feature. You would think I had uncovered a life long mystery by the way he was acting. "That's one of the main reasons I went along with Rae's insistence that I show her a castle. And I know Buckingham isn't really a castle, but I figured it was close enough and was best in proximity to where we were at at the time…" he rambled on, completely getting sidetracked.

"So we were your first reckless act?"

"Pretty much," he agreed. After a long pause he looked up at me and the intensity in his eyes, the pure desire for something unknown to him, startled me. "So will you do it? Will you teach me how to live?"

"Edward," I started out, slow and deliberate, trying how to explain this to him without giving too much away. "I'm not the best person to learn from."

Instead of looking disappointed, he seemed alarmed. His eyes were doing overtime, dashing and crossing over my features like lasers in a museum, and I'm sure his brain was working just as frantically, picking apart pieces of our conversation and overanalyzing them. "How could someone like…you…not know how to live?" he questioned hesitantly.

I ripped my eyes away from his scorching gaze and looked at Rae, the one person who could always bring a smile to my face. "I think we have each other's worlds a bit confused."

"So damn infuriating," he smiled sadly, wanting a better explanation.

"_I_ think that someone in your position has the world on a silver platter. Everything's given to you. You can have anything or anyone you want. But instead, you're trapped in a superficial world whose chains bound you to a hellish nightmare. _You_ see me as someone who is free to live without fear or without constant scrutiny. In reality, I'm barely making ends meet. I can't buy Rae all the toys her friends have, and I work so much that I'm afraid when I die she won't even remember who I am, let alone come to my funeral. I don't think either of us knows how to live. I think we're just making it by according to what seems to work best."

"I didn't know," he muttered, looking at me, though his eyes were distant.

"You couldn't have," I smiled.

"So, together then?" he mused.

I snapped out of my daze by the word 'together'. It was something I hadn't heard in a long time. Together as in equal parts, equal shares, equal responsibility. As strange as it sounded, I didn't know how to do something 'together'.

"What would we be doing?" I cautioned.

"Well, I would help you out with Rae so you wouldn't feel like you were abandoning her. You, in return, would take me to see the city and together, we would live a little."

"You've lived here your whole life and you've never seen the city? I highly doubt that, Edward."

He smirked. "Maybe I could also teach you how to not jump to conclusions…purely for my own benefit, of course."

"Of course," I laughed.

"You're right, I have seen the city but from a leader's point of view. Who needs help, what areas need fixing, but I've never seen it from a visitor's eye. Every speculative glance at something has been staged; every laugh of enjoyment has been forced. I want to fall in love with this city. And I want you to help me do that."

"I'll have you know I've never done something like this before, so I don't know how good of a tour guide I'll be."

"I don't want you to be my tour guide," he explained. "I wanted us to do this…as friends."

A turmoil of emotions bounced back and forth through me. Together. Friends. Words I've heard, but never known. One day was changing that. All of that.

"I think I'd…like that," I whispered, surprising myself with how honest a sentiment it was.

"Good," he smiled. "Then it's settled."

I laughed. "Actually, far from it. What about your duties as a prince? Events and conferences that carry you overseas?"

"You'll come with me. And little sunshine here, too."

I stuttered and gaped in amazement, awe, and finally confusion. "You can't do that. Too many people will be asking questions. And what about my job? And I refuse to let you pay for anything."

"Breathe, Bella."

"I don't know how," I practically screamed at him. When had I truly taken a breath? When had I let the air seep through my body like an aroma? When had calmness ever overtaken me so that it leaked through my pores? Not since I was a carefree and naïve little five year old. At six, life came crashing down like a bulldozer and nothing was ever the same.

"Give me the chance to teach you," he said gently. And at that moment I wanted to do this. I wanted the opportunity, the experience to at least break out of the shell I was living in and for once give myself a chance.

"Is it really as easy as saying yes?"

"I don't think so. I think like you said, there will be a lot of questions. And as for your job, start taking some vacation time. I bet you've never done that?" I smiled sheepishly in response and listened as he continued. "Whatever obstacles get in the way, though, we'll overcome them. I think we both deserve the chance."

"So where do we start?"

"What if we get acquainted with each others' lives? Homes, parents, siblings, significant others…?"

"Well, you've already met Rae. That leaves my dad and in all honesty he's nothing too exciting. We all share a house together and I'm sure it's the size of one of your bathrooms."

"Bella, in order to do this, we can't judge, or in your case, be so negative. I honestly wouldn't care if you lived with pigs and showered in mud. If that's where you came from, so be it. This is about looking toward the future and what it has to offer for both of us. I think we'll both be stepping into unknown territory."

"Does being a prince make you a wise man, too?" I laughed.

"No, being wise came with my extremely good looks. It was a package deal."

"Still as smug as ever."

"Still as bluntly honest when the situation doesn't call for it."

"Ass."

"Stiff."

"Hey! I resent that," I yelled, though my smile gave me away.

"You never mentioned anything about a significant other. What about Rae's father?"

"You jump tracks fast."

"Face it, Bella, I'm good looking, smart, and now _smooth_."

I rolled my eyes. "If you really want to know, you're going to have to be more serious than that."

"Fine, no more talking."

I grinned, practically proud of myself. I got a prince to shut up! How many people can say they've ever done that? Though that thought helped to brighten my mood, it was quickly dampened by the realization of what I was about to tell him. "I don't know Rae's father," I admitted.

"Adoption?"

"No."

"One night stand?"

"That's a…polite…way of putting it."

"I don't know, Bella. I'm all out of guesses."

"When I was 17, I was raped. At 18, I had Rae." I couldn't believe I had just admitted it to him. _Him_ of all people. But five years desensitizes you in a sense, especially when you're used to nothing good ever coming your way. And if we were trying to get to know each, to understand one another, I felt a yearning to need to tell him. What happened was a vital part of my history, and a permanent piece of my future. It would always be ingrained into my body, my heart, my mind; Rae was living proof of that act.

"Her name," he said slowly, as if everything was shifting into place.

I nodded, letting him know he was on the right track.

"She was your ray. That's why you're so protective of her?"

"I think as a mother I would be anyways, but because of what happened, I am even more so. I feel like if I lost the one good thing that has happened to me, I would be nothing. Rae keeps me going and I think that was the main reason I decided to go along with your stupid, crazy idea. As much as I love my baby girl, I need another reason to want to live, you know?"

He nodded, looking down at the girl still sleeping in his arms, and softly kissed the top of her head. "In a way, I can't say that I'm sorry about what happened to you. I'm mad at the pain it caused you and how that excuse of a man violated you, but I think what you got out of it is the best thing that's ever happened to you. Am I right?"

I nodded my head furiously, silent tears cascading down my cheeks.

Edward used his hand to wipe some away. "She loves you more than anything," he whispered. "I think she adores you unhealthily. Must do wonders for your ego," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank you," I smiled, a slight smile forming its way across my face.

"What are friends for?"

**A/N: **There you have it. The mystery (though I suspect you all knew) of where Rae came from. I know it's been done before, but I felt it suiting to where my story is going. Please know that Edward and Bella will be friends and not immediate lovers. I'm actually going to be realistic in this story, LOL (if you've read The New Year's List, you'll know I'm not exactly the most realistic writer in that story).

On this new website (the one I mentioned above in the beginning a/n), I've posted pictures of what I think Edward and Bella would look like in _this_ story. I know the picture of Bella is actually who a lot of people thought should play Alice in the _Twilight_ movie, but the picture I chose screamed Bella to me. (There is also a photo of Buckingham Palace.)

So, go ahead and review, and if you've finally seen what Rae looks like, let me know what you think, because I think she's just a doll!!


	5. 4

Prologue

_Last Time: _"What are friends for?"

**A/N: **A lot of people seem to think that Edward and Bella will never fall in love. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say this is essentially a fairy tale. C:

Also, stupid me actually typed out the website so it ended up not showing what the actual address was. It's twilighted (dot) net. So go become a member and check out that forum! Thanks again to amblovestoread!!

**4**

The following morning had me waking up to the insistent ringing of the telephone. I glanced over at the clock and my eyes immediately wanted to close again after realizing it was only four in the morning.

"Hello?" I mumbled, scooting to the far edge of the bed so I could keep the phone close, while still being able to half-sleep, half-communicate with whatever demon decided to wake me up.

"Bella! Please tell me you don't have a TV or a computer, and that you don't get any newspaper."

So it wasn't a demon that woke me up, but rather, a prince. "Edward," I sighed, "I'm poor, not archaic. We have the basic channels, a dial-up computer, and yes, I do get the local newspaper."

I could hear him cursing over the phone, and that alone made me open up my eyes in alarm. "Bella?"

"What is it, Edward? Why are you having a melt down at four in the morning?" I was starting to get frantic. He sounded worried and dually pissed, but why was I at the receiving end?

"Go to your front door and check out your window," he commanded, his voice strained.

Quickly, I jumped out of bed, making my way out into the narrow hallway, and tip-toed to the front of the house, bypassing the kitchen and living room.

Peaking through the window, I saw three large, white vans along with at least 15 people, parked in front of my cozy little house.

"Edward?" I whispered. I wanted to know why all these people were here. I had a life, and it did not involve being splashed across newspapers, magazines, and TV channels.

"What do you see, Bella?"

"There's a crowd outside my house, Edward!" I practically yelled, going hysterical. Edward was only a friend so why were they acting like I was suddenly so important?

"Damn it!" he yelled. And right then, I saw through his anger to notice how much he cared. That alone brought a smile to my face. "Bella, I'm coming over. Don't open the door or answer the phone for anyone until I get there, okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise me," he said, his voice softer now, but filled with compassion and anxiety.

"I promise, Edward. No door opening until His Majesty the Prince arrives," I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He obviously was in no mood for jokes, though, because I heard him let out a shuddered breath before hanging up the phone.

When I heard footsteps behind me, I quickly turned around, and screamed. All this tension was starting to build up, but when I saw it was only Charlie and Rae, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, walking over to Charlie to grab Rae from his grasp.

"Who were you just talking to?" he asked, sleep still clouding his eyes.

"Edward," I replied shortly, knowing how much Charlie didn't like the idea of me even being friends with him. He had valid points, too, but Edward had already become like family in this short period of 24 hours. We were both old souls, loved classical music, wanted to get fat on Italian carbs, and were absolutely mesmerized by Rae.

Charlie grunted before turning around to leave. "I'm telling you, Bella. Don't get mixed up with people like him. They'll only drag you through hell and then dump you."

I didn't say anything in response, choosing instead to watch his retreating figure. I knew the dangers of having any sort of relationship with a prince, platonic or not. Already I was discovering how hounding the media could be. And there was the fact that the rumor mill would be going crazy. But something inside of me said it was worth it, and for once in my life, I was going to be selfish and go after something I wanted.

"Mommy?" Rae asked, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Yea, baby?" I responded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Is Mister Edward coming over to play?"

Her eyes had widened in anticipation and I could tell she wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon.

As I was about to answer, a pounding knock came on the door, and I rushed to answer it, hiding behind the wooden material as I opened it slightly.

Edward rushed in, slamming the door closed, with at least seven different newspapers and magazines in his hand.

Before either one of us could say anything, Rae started talking, trying to squirm out of my grasp, and stretching her arms outward to Edward.

All of the emotions that had been dancing around on Edward's face seemed to disappear when he took Rae into his arms, only a tender love being displayed. "How are you, princess?" he asked her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Rae started rambling off things at lightening speed and I couldn't keep up with her topic changes. Instead, I headed into the small kitchen and started to make coffee. It was clear that today was going to be extremely long and trying and I at least wanted to be in the spirit to face it head-on.

Just as I was finishing pouring Edward and myself a mug, Edward walked in, still carrying Rae.

"Mommy, guess what?" Rae gleamed, her small, round teeth shining brightly in all her happiness.

I smiled back at her. "What is it, Rae?"

"Mister Edward is going to take me to kindergarten today with you! _And_," she said excitedly, "he said he would be my show-and-tell item for tomorrow."

I almost choked on the sip of coffee I had just taken. "Show-and-tell _item_?" I inquired, quirking an eyebrow at Edward.

He shrugged his shoulders and kissed Rae atop her messy, curly, hair. "Anything for my princess," he said.

"As long as that _anything_ doesn't include gifts that cost money," I warned.

Smugly smiling, he set Rae down on her feet, and bent at the knees so he was eye level with her. "Actually, I already bought her a present," he said, looking straight at me.

Rae acted as if she got to go to the moon. She grabbed Edward's face in her two, tiny hands, and forced him to look back at her, tearing his gaze from mine. "Can I have it?" she asked, excitedly. "Right now, please!" she begged.

I turned away from the gift giving and stared out the window to the fenced-in backyard. It was rare to see Rae this excited, but still understandable. Not once had I been able to get her any brand new toys. Between taking care of Charlie and shuttling around Rae, it left me little time for work, so the hours I did have were barely making ends meet.

All of Rae's birthday or Christmas presents had been old toys of mine and I could feel moisture surfacing at my eyes when I realized that I hadn't been the first one to give her, her first real toy.

"Why don't you go play with that in your room?" Edward suggested, tickling her sides, emitting loud squealing from her. "I'm going to have a chat with your mommy, okay?"

I heard Rae run to her room and no doubt she was the happiest little girl right now.

When I felt a presence behind me, I stiffened. How do you explain to someone how grateful you are to them for making your child so colorful and alive, but at the same time ask them to stop doing it so that you can at least try to draw that same reaction? I couldn't. That would be selfish of me. So instead, I slowly turned around, keeping my gaze locked on the floor.

"Bella," Edward whispered, lifting my chin up with his fingers. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head, fighting the raging thoughts in my mind, and trying to stop any tears from falling.

"Is this about the gift I gave to Rae?" he questioned, guessing correctly.

I sighed, fidgeting my fingers around nervously. We were friends, right? I could be honest with him.

"I appreciate it," I smiled. "It was an extremely nice gesture."

"But…" he pressed.

"But Rae has never had a brand new toy. I don't have the luxury of getting her things like that and I had hoped that one day I would. I was hoping it would show her how hard I've worked to try and get her what she needs and occasionally what she wants. It would prove to her how much I love her."

Edward stared at me for a long time, his gaze penetrating mine. Sometime during our silent communication, he had grabbed my hand and started rubbing smoothing circles with his thumb. "I had no idea, Bella," he finally spoke. He looked off behind me before continuing. "I never even thought about something like that. It almost sickens me to think of how ignorant I've been. So used to having and getting everything, that not once had I ever thought of those who actually treasured those simple commodities."

"Edward, know that I don't blame you. You asked and I was simply telling."

He nodded his head, forcing a smile onto his face. "I feel like we're going to go from sad to depressing," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

He threw down the papers I had seen him walk in with on the kitchen table and pointed down at them. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about," he sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

Staring up at me were pictures of Rae, on all the covers. Some with Rae and me, some with Edward and Rae, and some of all three of us. But the one common denominator in all of them was Rae.

"Oh my God," I whispered, my knees suddenly becoming weak. Paparazzi following us around was one thing, but for Rae to become international news was a completely different situation.

Edward steadied me and helped me to sit down in an old, wooden chair, often frequented by Charlie, making it slightly creaky.

"I want us to take some precautions, Bella. Believe me when I say that Rae means as much to me as she does to you and I will not allow for another repeat of her being splashed across the TV screen and papers."

I nodded, agreeing with every word he spoke. I knew Rae was the light of his life, like she was mine. I had a dark past, and Rae helped me find the light in my possible future. Edward had a destined and sometimes unwanted future, and Rae helped him make the most of the present. Our combined love and care for her only escalated when we saw she would now be portrayed as a media image. It was one thing for me to be on the covers; I was 23. But Rae was only five.

"What exactly do you suggest?" I questioned.

"I want to be with you guys every second I can be. I've dealt with this my whole life so I know how to handle it. I would also like to hire security for the times I can't be around. It's important for you both, but especially for Rae. Now that people have seen her face and she is associated with me, I don't want to take the risk of something happening to her."

I didn't like the idea of having people follow Rae or me around but I knew it was for our benefit.

"I want someone with both of you at all times, even when Rae is at school. It's just a precaution, but it will help me sleep somewhat better at night," he continued.

Again, I nodded in agreement.

"And lastly, I'd like to do something about your living arrangements." I saw him hesitate when my head snapped up at him in shock. "Bella," he whispered, reaching for my hand. "This house isn't safe for you, not anymore. It would be easy for anyone to get in."

Knowing he was right, I nodded, but still, what was I supposed to do? Win the lottery so I could buy a castle or a palace like him?

"I want you guys to move in with me. Not at Buckingham, but at my own private residence. It's gated and I have a full-time staff as well as security."

I swallowed down a heavy lump and I suddenly felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. Edward was right; it would be safer. Even I would sleep better at night knowing Rae was completely and entirely safe. But by moving in with him after only knowing him for a day, wouldn't that just fuel even more media speculation? And what about Charlie? Surely he would have an opinion, and not a very good one at that.

"I don't know, Edward. It seems to be an equally good and bad idea," I muttered.

He nodded his head. We both knew this was not the ideal situation.

Wanting a change of subject, I switched gears to Rae's show-and-tell tomorrow at school. "So are you really going to go to Rae's school tomorrow?" I asked.

"Technically," he grinned, I'll be going there today, too. To drop her off with you, remember? But tomorrow, yes, I'll be there."

I laughed, picturing Rae in front of the class, showing off the prince of England like he was hers. But then again, maybe he was.

It was strange how fondly and easily Rae took to Edward. But even more so, how Edward and I took to each other. It seemed like we had known each other for years. We understood each other in a deep and intellectual way that I had never discovered with another human being. And that is what was so hard. Knowing I had only known him for a day, but still feeling as if I had known him for a lifetime. Is there a reason why life had to be so complicated?

**A/N**: I have a new poll up. It is rather boring and only for my informational purposes, but I would still like to know so please go answer it!

Also, I have a question that I would love for you to answer in a review, a PM, or through e-mail. Obviously, Edward and Bella are still only friends, even though he loves Rae, but do you think him asking her to move in was too quick? It's sole purpose was to protect them both, and I am confident in that aspect of the story, but do you feel that as friends, they could have possibly developed that depth of a friendship so quickly? I just want this to seem as real as possible, so let me know!

And just so you know and I don't get a million questions about it, the rest of the crew (Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme) will be making appearance soon. I don't know if it will be next chapter, but it will definitely be within a few.

Lastly (phew, this is a long A/N, I apologize), for The New Year's List readers, I am _so_ sorry. I will try to update, I promise, just give me some more time!

Now, go review!

P.S. I love the Cookie League!!


	6. 5

Prologue

_Last Time: _And that is what was so hard. Knowing I had only known him for a day, but still feeling as if I had known him for a lifetime. Is there a reason why life had to be so complicated?

**A/N**: Most of you lovelies thought that the pace was good, so I appreciate that! For those of you who didn't, I completely see your standpoint, so hopefully this chapter will be more accommodating. On with the show…

**5**

Rae had been in her room, playing with the Barbie doll set Edward had given her for three hours now. It included a casually dressed Barbie, a dog, and some accessories. Rae adored it, naming the dog Eddie—much to Edward's dismay—and the Barbie Bella.

When it was time to get her ready for school, she insisted that she wanted to wear something exactly like the outfit her new doll was wearing, so I hunted for a pair of Capri-cargo pants, a purple, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of white tennis shoes. I even had a brown belt for her to help keep up her pants, seeing as how tiny she was. The one item of clothing I didn't have, though, was a blue vest, and Rae was almost in tears.

I saw Edward open his mouth to say something, but I shot him a warning glare. I knew exactly what would come out of his mouth. I knew he loved Rae and wanted to see her happy, but buying her everything she wanted was not the answer.

"Rae, I'm going to go get your breakfast ready. Finish doing your hair, and then come on out, okay?" I told her.

She nodded, sniffling a little, and headed into the bathroom to do her hair.

I walked into the kitchen, grabbing a plastic bowl from the pantry and pouring Rae some Cheerios, before dicing up a banana in small chunks and adding it along with the strawberries I had already cut up. Pouring milk on top of the mixture, and pouring a small glass for Rae to drink out of, I made my way back into the bathroom to tell her that breakfast was ready.

What I saw before me was practically the cutest and funniest site I had seen in a long while. Edward was trying to help comb out Rae's hair and braid a front piece of it, just like her Barbie doll, but instead of only braiding a little, he ended up gathering the whole chunk of hair on the right side of her head and it ended up looking like a curly mountain instead of a braid.

"Edward," I laughed. "I suggest you let me take it from here."

He pouted when I had started laughing and scooped Rae up into his arms. "Rae, do you want mommy or me to do your hair?" he asked, pouting at her, too.

I shook my head, knowing how unfair this situation was. Of course she would choose him! With those bright, pleading green eyes, and those full, pouting lips, not even Charlie would be able to refuse him.

"You!" she giggled. "But mommy needs to tell you how," she instructed, taking two of her little fingers and turning his pout into a smile.

He kissed her quickly before setting her back down on her feet and turning toward me. "Teach away," he instructed, and I did.

After a good ten minutes of suggesting and correcting his every attempt, I ended up doing Rae's hair and ushering her into the kitchen so she could eat her cereal before it got anymore soggy.

Fifteen minutes later, Rae had finished off half of the bowl. She was an extremely slow eater and didn't eat very much—something that worried more.

"Honey, why don't you eat a little more," Edward persisted. When Rae lifted her shirt and patted her tiny tummy, proclaiming she was full, Edward tried a different tactic. "I bet your Barbie would eat that whole thing right up!" he exclaimed.

Rae's eyes widened and a huge grin broke out onto her face. "Really?" she asked, and when Edward and I both nodded our heads emphatically, Rae quickly finished the rest of the cereal in less than five minutes.

After saying good-bye to Charlie, who only grunted in response, we headed toward the door. Leaving the house would be an entirely different fiasco. Edward instructed for us both to put on jackets with hoods, and to cover our faces with it. He helped Rae zip hers up and put the hood over her, covering as much of her face as he could, and then resting her head low on his shoulder so that there was no chance of anybody getting a peak.

"You ready, Bella?" he asked.

Nodding my head, knowing no other way to get more prepared to face these reporters and the paparazzi, I opened the door.

As soon as we had stepped out, Edward latched his hand onto mine and quickly dragged me down the path and to the sidewalk.

Apparently, he already had security waiting, and they surrounded us like a swarm of bees, pushing back reporters and making it easier for us to walk. The once blinding lights, turned into sporadic shots, as the security unit only grew larger.

Because the house was only a few blocks away from Rae's school, we walked it, taking only seven minutes to get there. The entire time questions were being fired, one after the other, and a few brave people tried to jump over security to get a shot.

"I'm really sorry about this," Edward said, squeezing my hand in comfort.

"It's okay," I smiled, pushing my hood back a little so he could see my face. When I saw the skeptical look in his eyes, I laughed. "I mean it, Edward. All of this," I gestured, waving my hand around, "is worth it. Rae and I have actually found someone who cares about us and loves us. That's more than I could ask for, so don't start going on a guilt trip."

He squeezed my hand again, and smiled broadly. "I just wish I could protect you two from this."

"Edward," I warned, but was quickly interrupted by Rae.

"Mommy? Mister Edward? Where's Bella?" she asked, referring to her Barbie. It was weird hearing her ask for someone named Bella and knowing it wasn't me she was referring to.

"Right here, princess," Edward said, grabbing the Barbie out his jean pocket.

Rae broke out into a huge grin and grabbed the Barbie from him, making her walk all across Edward's body, though, I'm sure if the Barbie were real, it wouldn't mind at all. He _was_ possibly the finest male specimen.

"Is there a reason you didn't get her a Ken doll, too?" I teased, whispering to Edward so Rae wouldn't overhead and suddenly be asking for one.

Edward looked at me, his eyes playful, but a small, sad smile lingered on his face. "Look at how much she loves her Barbie. Can you imagine if I bought her a _male_ version of it? I would have competition for her love. I can't have that now, can I?"

"How do you think I feel then, Edward?" I laughed.

We were now outside of Rae's classroom, and since we were inside a privately owned building, no paparazzi or reporters could follow us in. I took down my hood, and pushed Rae's off her head.

"Have fun at school today, Rae," I said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Say good-bye to Bella, too," she insisted.

I laughed. "Bye, Bella."

Edward then set Rae down, saying his good-byes to her and to Bella, and then walked over to the teacher. I waited patiently, knowing Edward was just taking more precautions for Rae's safety and informing the teacher of the current situation.

When he came back over to me, he told me that two security guards would monitor Rae throughout the day and when recess time came, they would stay close to her at all times.

Reluctantly, I agreed. For both Edward and me, this wasn't the ideal situation. We didn't want her growing up, having to be followed and watched everywhere she went, but if it kept her safe, that was the most important thing.

"What does he think he's doing?" Edward asked, his tone aggravated. I looked at where his eyes were glued and saw Rae talking to a little boy, showing off her Barbie doll.

"She's just showing him her new toy, Edward," I laughed.

"She can't show it to a girl instead?" he questioned.

"Edward! Seriously. Please don't tell me you don't want a guy coming within 100 feet of her."

"Of course not," he proclaimed. "I just don't want a _boy_ who is her age within 100 feet of her," he pouted. I studied his face closer, noticing how it was creased with worry and anxiety. "What if he hurts her?" he asked suddenly.

"They're five, Edward," I said gently, rubbing a soothing hand up and down his arm.

"Five is an impressionable age," he commented. "It could scar her for life."

"Edward. When I said they were five, I meant at five you don't go around breaking each other's hearts. You don't even fall in love at five."

His gaze now turned to me. "Do you think age or time really matters when you truly love someone?" he whispered, his voice low and serious. I stared at him, my brows knitted together. He had a good point. I mean, we had only known each other for a day, and we were already acting as if we'd known each other since birth. Isn't that what people called soul mates? "Do you, Bella?" he whispered, after my long hesitation.

"They're five," I repeated, matching his tone of voice. The moment had become too thick with tension and I wasn't sure if I could handle it.

"Is it wrong of me?" he questioned suddenly, turning his gaze back to her.

"Is it what wrong?" I prodded.

"The way I feel about her," he explained, looking down at the floor.

"About Rae?" I clarified.

He nodded his head. "My sister, Rosalie, has a little girl, Rae's age, and I love her to death. But with Rae, I feel those emotions ten-fold. It's like she's my own child."

"She has you whipped," I joked.

"Yea, she does," he replied, his voice anything but playful.

"It's okay, you know. To have these feelings. After what happened to me, I wanted nothing to do with Rae." He snapped his head up to mine, at the shocking revelation. "Charlie took care of her for the first month after she was born. I couldn't even look at her," I admitted.

"But, I thought she was your ray?"

I smiled sadly. "She was and she still is. But back then all I could think about was wanting nothing to do with her. She was conceived with a man who destroyed my life."

"Then why didn't you get an abortion? If you were so against having her?"

"Believe me, I wanted to. I can't tell you how many times I stood outside of the abortion clinic, willing my feet to make the trek inside, but I couldn't. It would be like fighting crime with crime. I couldn't murder an innocent child," I whispered, the memories too strong for me to handle on my own.

Edward immediately took me into his protective arms, and I relaxed, relishing in the warmth and comfort he brought to me.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked.

I smiled. This was one memory that would never cause me grief. "One time, when Charlie had left the house, she started crying. I sat outside her nursery for ten minutes, just listening to the sound, wanting to do something, but unsure if I actually could. Finally, I went inside and carefully walked over to her. When I got to her crib and was standing right over her, the room fell silent. Her crying stopped, and my nerves washed away. We just looked at each, bonding like a real mother and daughter in silent communication. And then she smiled and I realized how much it resembled mine. After that, it just clicked in my head. Yes, she was conceived because of him, but she _wasn't_ him. She was her own person, and if raised correctly, she could grow up to be an amazing woman."

Rubbing my back soothingly, Edward whispered words of encouragement in my ear. "She already is amazing, you know. You've done a terrific job with her."

"Thank you," I smiled, pulling away from his grasp and immediately missing him. "I guess the point of me telling you that, is that it's okay. Sometimes the best things happen in moments of complete and under confusion and distress but then something clicks. It's not a science and it can't be explained, but something we never knew was inside of us becomes awakened. And when it makes you feel like the luckiest person alive, you can't question it, you just have to go with it."

He nodded his head, a slow smile lazily making its way across his face. "This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime types of things, isn't it?" he questioned. "One of those it'll-never-happen-to-me types of moments, but here I am, and it has happened."

"It has happened," I agreed, my smile matching his.

"I love her, Bella," he proclaimed, in complete confidence.

"She loves you, too," I told him.

"I feel like it's my job to protect her and take care of her. I want to be with her every second of every day and I want to make her the happiest little girl alive."

"You already have."

He shook his head, continuing on, sounding as if this was a load he just had to get off his chest. "Bella, I want to raise her properly. I want to be able to call her my own. I want you two to move in with me."

I sucked in a breath of air. We were back to this again.

"What about Charlie?" I whispered.

"Bella, I'm not an idiot, I know what he thinks of me. He can stay at your house and you and Rae can move in with me. Believe me, I have plenty of room." He shook his head back and forth in disbelief. "I just want to know she is safe and there is no way I can know that if you are both still living at your house."

"It's only been a day, Edward," I said. I cared for him, I did. It was hard not to. He loved and looked after Rae like no other guy I had met had, except for Charlie. And the hours we had spent talking the other day proved how much alike we were. It was as if I was the female version of him and he was the male version of me. We just worked in perfect accordance.

"But you just said it yourself, Bella. It only takes a moment. One moment and everything clicks, everything falls into place. You've had that moment, Bella. And now, so have I." He was talking in a rushed voice, eagerly trying to convince me. "I'm not asking for marriage, Bella. I know we are nowhere near that point. But I care for you and I love Rae. Call it the man in me, but I want to be able to provide for her. You've been doing a wonderful job, Bella, but we both know you're not financially stable. Please, just let me do this."

I was chewing on my bottom lip carelessly. He was right; he could take care of us better than anyone could. Rae loved him and he was quickly becoming my best friend. But wasn't this just _too_ fast?

"Bella?" he prodded, nervously tapping his fingers against the side of his pants.

I was still thinking about it, racking back and forth through my mind, when I felt a jolt in my leg.

"Mommy!" Rae exclaimed. "What are you and Mister Edward still doing here?"

I looked down at my baby girl and picked her up into my arms. "I love you, Rae," I told her, my voice expressing the seriousness of the mood that had enveloped over us.

"I know, mommy," Rae grinned. She then looked over at Edward and her smile widened. "And I know how much he loves me, too. We're like a big, happy family, aren't we, mommy?"

I smiled, deep in thought. The innocence of childhood…How I wish this next decision I would make could be as black and white as children saw the world. But it wasn't, and that meant it would change everything.

**A/N: **My poll is still up, so if you haven't answered that, I would love for you to take the time to. And again, I ask, was the whole Edward/Rae/Bella thing too fast? I tried to explain my logic. Finally, please go and review!


	7. 6

Prologue

_Last Time: _How I wish this next decision I would make could be as black and white as children saw the world. But it wasn't, and that meant it would change everything.

I have been neglecting to put up a disclaimer. I own nothing affiliated with _Twilight_ for future reference.

**A/N: **FYI, I have posted new pictures on my website for this story including the toy that Edward got Rae, pictures of Rosalie, Alice, and Rosalie's daughter. Check them out and let me know what you think! People are continually supporting the pace of this story, so, I am ready to move forward! And for those of you who wanted some flirting, read along…

**6**

Rae was right. We _were_ like a family. And so far I had been selfish, going after what I wanted, so why not indulge a little more?

I looked up at Edward to see him staring intently at me. I nodded my head, knowing he knew that was my way of saying yes, I would move in with him, along with Rae.

The largest smile I had seen yet graced his face and he rushed to take Rae into his arms. "Rae, honey, how would you like for you and mommy to move in with me?" Edward asked Rae, hope shining in his eyes.

Rae reached her tiny, little arms around Edward's neck and kissed him on the cheek, her smile emulating his. Her lips rested by his ear as she whispered something to him. When she pulled away his face had fallen into a shock before he turned to face her, his eyes bright with love and adoration. "Make sure it's alright with mommy first, because I would love that, Rae."

Rae turned her attention back to me. "If we move in does that mean I get to call him my daddy?"

Now it was my turn to smile. There is no other person who I would rather have Rae call her dad. Edward and I might turn into something, or we might not, but I always knew he would be there for Rae.

"Of course you can, Rae."

Rae started clapping. "Now I have a mommy _and_ a daddy."

Hearing that word, Edward couldn't stop grinning like an idiot.

"Give me one more kiss good-bye Rae and then go back inside your classroom." Rae did as Edward asked, and he set her back down on her feet. "Oh, and sweetheart? Who was that boy you were talking to?"

I rolled my eyes. Edward just couldn't let it go.

"Brad," Rae blushed.

And just when I thought nothing could get Edward to stop smiling, it suddenly fell off his face. "Do you like him, Rae?"

Shyly, Rae nodded her head. "He asked me to be his girlfriend."

Edward paled as I smiled. I remembered the innocence of kindergarten and how having a boyfriend was a huge deal. You never did anything except share crayons, exchange lunches, and occasionally hold hands, but Edward was taking it differently.

"Rae, you're too young to have a boyfriend," he stated, his tone not up for arguments.

"But, daddy…" Rae whined, and I burst out into laughter as Edward's smile reappeared as bright as ever on his face. Rae just had to say that word, and instantly anything was hers.

"You think this is funny?" he asked, still smiling.

"Edward, it's not like it's a serious relationship."

"It's serious enough for them to call each other girlfriend and boyfriend," he muttered glumly.

"They're five."

"Is there a reason you continually use that argument?"

"Edward, you can't protect her from everything."

"I know, but I can't help but want to," he persisted.

I rested my head on his shoulder as he put an arm around my waist. "You can't," I repeated, patting a hand on his chest.

"Maybe I should get a background check done on him and his family."

"Edward, don't you dare!" I glared.

He pouted again, and I melted. If Rae saying 'daddy' was Edward's thing, Edward pouting was my thing.

"I want to at least _meet_ this Brad kid and his parents."

My glare lessened, but it was still there. "How about you just meet _him_, not his whole family?"

"Fine," he relented. I grinned in accomplishment before he spoke again. "Is this us compromising?" he asked.

I smiled. "I believe it is."

"This is a good thing for our relationship," he smirked.

"What relationship?" I teased.

"You're Rae's mommy, I'm Rae's daddy. If I didn't no better, I'd say our relationship was sexual."

I rolled my eyes and started making my way to the front of the building so we could leave. "You are a poor excuse for a flirt."

"I beg to differ. I believe I saw a blush."

Damn it! I had indeed blushed at his comment. But who wouldn't? The idea of actually, truly having a child with Edward was something I hadn't thought of, but definitely something I would consider in the future. All things considered, he was perfect.

"Fine, you caught me. Happy now?"

"Immensely."

What seemed like a constant gesture, I rolled my eyes and went to open the door, getting prepared for all the commotion, but Edward quickly stopped my movements.

"Bella," Edward called out, reaching for my hand.

I stopped and slowly turned around to face him, looking at the way our hands fit perfectly together.

"Hmmm?" I questioned, distracted by the beauty and intensity of his eyes.

"I was just messing around, you know that, right?" I nodded my head as I waited for him to continue. "What just happened back there, with Rae asking me to be her daddy, I was ecstatic. Please know I would do nothing to mess that up."

"Edward, knowing you and knowing Rae, you two are meant to be daddy and daughter. She adores you and you adore her. It's destiny or fate. I don't know what, but it's something, so please don't question it. Ever."

"I have everything to lose now," he whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"I have a daughter now," he smiled.

"Yes, you do," I grinned back.

"And I have you…"

I looked at him, and watched as his eyes took on a seriousness and determination. He was a prince, but he now knew his most important responsibility was being a dad to _our_ daughter. It wasn't official or legal by any means, but what mattered the most was that the three of us recognized how much we were each other's everything.

"You have me," I repeated for him, in complete confidence.

"And that is why I have everything to lose. Before I had a future I didn't even care about. But now, I have two people that I want to care for and love. I feel like I'm on the ultimate high. The only place to go now is down."

"I know what you mean," I agreed. "Everything's happening so fast that it feels like we shouldn't be having these feelings or be experiencing these emotions. But if you think about it, you've become a dad in the most conventional way. It's not like any other dad becomes a father in six months. One day the baby is born and poof, you suddenly have a lot of responsibility on your shoulder and a child to look after. You've just experienced that 'poof' five years late."

Seeing the relief wash over him, I knew I had said something right. "I have a car waiting for us right outside," Edward told me, and then gestured for the security to huddle around us. Keeping our hands locked together, the doors were pushed open and we stepped outside.

"Who are you dating Prince Edward?"

"Is she royalty?"

"Is that child really yours?"

"Will you be supporting them financially now?"

"What has been your family's reaction?"

"Do they even know about your relationship?"

The slamming of the car door, shut out all other questions. I turned to Edward, in shock of all the false accusations they had hit us with. "Is this what they really do, Edward?" I asked. "Twist what they see into the next juiciest story?"

Edward sighed, looking at me intently. "They're going to say a lot of things, Bella. Some things we just have to let go. Other things—more serious issues—we can sue the paper for slander. There are options, but they still have the ability to write what they want, true or not."

Suddenly I became fearful. How was this going to affect Rae? "What about Rae?" I whispered.

And as if knowing that, that would be the first question on my mind, he had his answer prepared. "No one," he said firmly, grabbing my face between his two hands, "is ever going to say anything about Rae. Ever. Okay? I promise."

Silently, I nodded my head, millions of thoughts running through my mind without any stop sign or filter to slow them down. I rested my head against Edward's hard chest and he immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders, running his hand up and down the length of my arm in comfort.

"What's going to happen when they find out that Rae calls you her daddy? They already think you're the father who abandoned us."

"In situations like this, Bella, all we can do is tell them the truth. More likely than not, they won't believe us and will fabricate story after story. But I swear to you, my family has a staff of people specifically meant to deal with the press. We have people who go through every online article, newspaper, magazine—any tabloid you can think of—and look at every word that has been printed to make sure the reporters are within their rights. I will personally tell them that if one negative or hurtful comment is said about Rae, to bring it to my attention immediately and I will put lawyers on the case that second. You have nothing to worry about, Bella. Rae is in good hands."

I smiled up at him. "I know." And I did know. Edward could be a regular guy, a commoner like myself, and I would still trust him with my life. I would trust him with Rae completely and without question. It wasn't about a matter of time, but about a matter of trust. Some people, it takes years to earn their trust; for others it's an intuition. But with Edward, I think it was something called fate.

Edward soon interrupted my thoughts and I quickly turned my attention back to him. "So what do you want to do until we have to pick up Rae?"

I looked down at my watch and noticed it was already 9:00 a.m. Rae got out of school at 11:00 a.m. since she was in the morning kindergarten class.

"Surprise me," I giggled.

He looked at me suspiciously. "I thought you didn't like surprises?"

"True, I don't—usually. But today, I'm feeling…lucky."

He grinned at my comment. "I know the feeling," he agreed, and moved to go whisper to the driver where we would be going.

When we pulled up to Buckingham Palace my face paled. "Edward," I said, my voice low and hoarse. "I said surprise me, not shock me."

He chuckled and grabbed hold of my hand. "I want you to meet my family," he grinned.

"I don't think I'm ready."

"Why not?" he questioned, honestly confused.

"I don't know the first thing about etiquette and look at the way I'm dressed. Isn't it against some code to greet the royal family in jeans?"

"Bella," Edward chuckled. "It the 21st century, not the 1700's. Give us more credit than that."

Mustering up all the courage I could, I reluctantly got out of the car with Edward and made my way into the palace he calls a home.

"Alice has been dying to meet you ever since I didn't bring you over to see her yesterday," he chuckled.

"And Rosalie?" I questioned, nervously. I had seen pictures of the royal family before and Alice and Rosalie were two strikingly beautiful people and that thought alone made all my courage die.

He smiled quickly. "She's a little…hesitant. She has just always been one to stick to tradition. But I think you'll find out you have more in common with her than you think."

"She's the one who has a daughter my age, right?"

"Yea, her name is Emily, and she's actually eight."

"Eight? I thought you said she was close to Rae in age," I questioned.

Edward just shrugged. "Five. Eight. Close enough, right?"

I laughed, shaking my head back and forth. Men and their sense of age, time, and anything important. No wonder so many men thought turning 50 was like being reincarnated into a 30 year old's body.

"Don't be so nervous, Bella," Edward laughed, strengthening his hold on my hand. "You're only meeting Alice and Rose today."

"Okay, I think I can handle that then," I said, breathing in and then out. At least I wouldn't have to worry about six pairs of eyes on me—only two. I could do this.

And that was my mantra. I kept saying it over and over again, keeping me completely distracted as Edward led me through the winding hallways. I had been so focused on convincing myself that I had the confidence to do this, that I didn't notice when someone knocked me into a tightly squeezed hug.

"Bella! It's so exciting to finally meet you."

I let out a small chuckle and twisted myself out of her grip.

"Your Highness," I smiled, bowing my head a small bit.

I was shocked when she playfully hit my shoulder. "Bella! Just call me Alice. You're practically family."

"Okay, Alice," I smiled timidly.

"Oh, Edward! She's gorgeous," Alice exclaimed before turning her attention back toward me. "When do I get to meet Rae?" she squealed.

I checked my watch before answering her. "We have to leave in about an hour so we can pick her up on time."

Alice's eyes were so wide with excitement as she shoved a large bag into my hand. "I bought her seven new Barbies and seven new outfits to match the dolls. Edward told me how much she liked to match her dolls."

I looked in the bag and then at Edward. He was going to get a talking to. "Edward…"

"Bella, I swear I only told her about it. I just thought it was cute of Rae. I never told her to go out and buy anything." Again with the pout. Whether he was telling the truth or not, I forgave him. It was just like him to call someone and tell them something about Rae, very much like a proud father.

"So what else did Edward tell you?" I grinned.

"Just about everything!" she squealed. "How you're moving in with him, how Rae asked him to be her daddy. Oh, I'm so excited for you two!"

I chuckled. "I have no idea where Edward got the time to tell you, but I'm glad you approve," I grinned.

"Why wouldn't I approve?" Alice pouted. So the impossible-to-resist pout ran in the family. "You know, the day I met Jasper I told him I loved him and was going to spend the rest of my life with him," she smiled.

"Really?" I asked. Maybe this had nothing to do with fairytales and everything to do with believing that I deserved to be happy, that I deserved to go after what I wanted, and that I deserved to fall in love.

"We've been married for almost five years," she told me.

"That's wonderful," I smiled, as Edward once again grabbed hold of my hand and led me further into the room. There I was greeted by a smile and a nod from whom I guessed was Rosalie.

"It's nice to meet you," I greeted, suddenly becoming anxious again as I took in her beautiful appearance.

She stared at me for a moment before pulling a mini-me out in front of her. "This is my daughter, Emily Rose. I hear you have a daughter yourself?"

"Yes. Her name is Rae and she's five," I answered as politely as I could, even though her tone was anything but comforting.

"And I hear she now calls Edward her father?" The raised eyebrows and thin set of her lips told me she was not pleased.

"Rosalie," Edward warned.

"What?" she objected, a mocking smile on her lips. "I can't ask a question. Apparently I have a niece now."

I stiffened. That was one part I had not thought of. If Edward was serious about Rae, would that mean he would take the serious steps to adopt her? The queen and king would now have another grandchild. Rosalie and Alice would have a niece.

And then something I never thought of hit me. Rae would be next in line to rule after Edward. Somehow, this fairytale just got very complicated.

**A/N: **I can't believe my updating skills! So unlike me. For those of you who think the 'daddy' scene was too fast, I'm actually going to disagree. This is the one time I feel completely justified. Children take to strangers so easily and Edward has emulated a doting father, so it only makes sense. Now, please do me a favor and review (let me know again about the pace and what you think of the pictures)! Getting to 150 reviews isn't too much to ask for, is it?

As always, thank you to my **Cookie League** family and special thanks to **SillyLily619** for doing an advanced reading of this chapter and telling me everything would work out fine!!


	8. 7

_Last Time: _Rae would be next in line to rule after Edward. Somehow, this fairytale just got very complicated.

**A/N: **So I know for sure there are Chuck E. Cheeses in Europe I just couldn't find out exactly where. So, for the story's sake, play on cheese man, play on!

**7**

I did not want to worry about Rae ruling the country when she could hardly eat breakfast without two people persuading her. Besides, it would be years before something like Edward needing a successor happened and it was very unlikely that something like this _would_ ever happen.

I mean, Edward was not a for sure thing. Yet, even thinking that, I knew it wasn't true. Edward was as for sure as the sun rising in the morning and setting in the night. Edward was as for sure as the ground I walked on and the air I breathed. Edward was as for sure as…love. But was love even a for sure thing?

I sighed, my brain completely fried, and made my way into the car that was waiting for Edward and me.

On the ride back to pick up Rae, all my thoughts turned toward Rosalie's disdain for me. Meeting Alice, I had felt confident and sure of where my relationship stood with Edward. I even felt like it was actually okay to have these feelings so quickly. But Rosalie washed all of that away, leading me to the 'for sure' thoughts I had just been having minutes ago.

"Bella, let it go," Edward smiled. Ever since we had left, he had noticed a change in me and was continually telling me that Rosalie just had to come around in her own time, that trusting wasn't something she did easily.

I, of course, relented after much pouting on his part. He seriously needed to stop doing that.

As the chauffeured car pulled up to Rae's school, Edward and I waited until security had gotten out of their cars and surrounded our own. Edward then opened the door, shielding his eyes with his hand, and using his other hand to reach for my own. I quickly latched on to it, knowing how much comfort he gave me with just a simple touch.

Questions were being thrown at us left and right and compared to the size of the crowd this morning, it now looked as if it had tripled. Not only were there reporters and paparazzi, but fans and onlookers seemed to congregate around us, as well. All of it made me immensely uncomfortable for I was never one to like being in the spotlight.

Never had I thought doors leading into a school would be a godsend, but there is a first time for everything and when security held open those doors it was like a choir of angels was singing Hallelujah down at us.

The second we stepped inside, the noise only became a slight buzzing in the background.

Walking quickly down to Rae's classroom, since the commotion outside had delayed us for a few minutes, we opened the door to find that Rae was one of the last students there to be picked up.

Immediately I went into mommy-mode, kissing all over Rae's face and apologizing for being late. But all she did was rest her head on my shoulder and sigh. "I want daddy," Rae pleaded, sounding broken and disheartened.

A tinge of jealousy passed through me when I thought of how I had raised Rae for five years and yet she wanted to be comforted by someone she had only known for one day. But as soon as the thought passed through my mind, I washed it away. It wasn't fair to Edward if I was thinking things like that. I had already admitted to myself that it had seemed as if we had known each other our whole lives; I couldn't go back and forth according to the situation.

So I passed Rae over to Edward and she started clenching his shirt tightly in her small, little hands.

Both Edward and I exchanged a confused look and I motioned for him to go take her out to the car while I talked to the teacher to see if anything had happened today.

"Ms. Everding?" I called out, making my way toward her.

The woman smiled at me and turned around from cleaning up an arts and crafts table. "Ms. Swan," she exclaimed. "I hear you are dating the prince," she beamed, her smile widening.

I shook my head for a moment. Was this woman actually being nice to me or was it some sick dream? No, of course she was. That's what happens when you are "dating" the prince. In all honesty, I had no clue what Edward and I were as far as relationship status goes, but I did know that the only reason this woman was being nice to me was because of my association with Edward. She used to barely acknowledge me before, looking down on me simply because I was 23 and Rae was 5. It's a shame how people judge when the truth has never been told.

"Not exactly," I smiled.

She ignored my comment with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, darling. Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

I stared at her for a minute before continuing. Was she for real? Left confused by her strange behavior I just asked about what was worrying me. "Do you know if anything happened to Rae at school today? She's never been this down and she looked like she was ready to burst into tears any moment now."

The woman nodded her head. "Yes, I noticed that, too. It was right after we came in from recess that she started acting that way."

I wanted to get back to Edward to ask him if he thought it had anything to do with the paparazzi, so after thanking Ms. Everding, I tried to get out of the room as quickly as I could.

Ms. Everding wasn't having that, though, so I ended up politely, yet curtly, answering all of her questions until Edward swept back into the room, an angry expression on his face.

Whatever happened to Rae today, he found out about it and he obviously was not happy. Excusing us, Edward grabbed my hand and practically ran me out of the classroom, stopping in a secluded part of the hallway.

"Edward? What is it? Did something happen to Rae? Did the paparazzi bother her?"

Edward snapped his head up at that. "Did her teacher say that the paparazzi were bothering her? I told security—"

"No, Edward," I interrupted. "I was just trying to figure out what happened. Ms. Everding said she noticed a change in Rae after they came in from recess so I just assumed."

Running a hand over his face, Edward took a deep breath. "No, that wasn't it. Apparently some kids said some things to Rae on the playground."

"Well, did she tell you what they said?" I asked, my heart breaking at the fact that anyone would say something to hurt my baby girl. He looked up at the white, popcorned ceiling before nodding. "And?" I persisted.

"Rae was proud to call me her daddy," he smiled. I smiled, too, though confused with how this related to the current predicament at all. "She went around telling everyone that she had a daddy now."

"That's great, Edward…" I smiled, happy for him.

His smile was tight-lipped. When he continued on, his gaze was past me, lost in a world of deep thought. "Two girls named Hannah and Brittany started taunting her, telling her that her real daddy was a horrible person and that I would never want to be her father because of it."

I closed my eyes when I heard the names of those two girls. I had grown up as neighbors with their mothers, and though they were older than me, they still knew the whole story of my past. What on earth would possess them to tell their children things like that about me? So they could hurt me? So they could hurt Rae?

It all stemmed back to jealousy. "How's she doing?" I asked him.

"She's fine now. I have her in the car with some security. I didn't want her to hear me telling you."

I nodded, knowing that was the best decision. "And how are _you_?" I questioned.

"I'm this close to having the kids expelled," he sighed, his eyes still ablaze with anger.

"Edward," I said, wrapping my hands around his neck to keep his focus on me so that all irrational thoughts would fly out the window. "You know that it isn't fair to expel them just because they said something mean."

"You know I can," he gritted through his teeth.

"Yes, I know you can, but I also know this isn't a case of 'let me show you how much power I have'. If you did that, Edward, you would be abusing your power. I can't let you do that," I whispered.

"Then what do I do?" he asked, torn. "I feel like this is all my fault, if—"

"Hey!" I interrupted for the second time. "You and I both know that you are the best thing that's happened to Rae. Don't you dare pull away from her! You would just be proving Hannah and Brittany's point and Rae would start thinking she doesn't deserve you."

Edward nodded his head, slowly, his anger simmering down to a boil.

"Show and tell is tomorrow, right?" He nodded his head, smiling. "Prove it to everyone tomorrow," I encouraged. "Introduce yourself as Rae's dad."

"That's perfect, Bella," Edward whispered, and with the hallways so quiet, I could barely hear his murmur. "Thank you," he said, as he pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead.

Blushing, I wrapped my arms around him, trying to hide my face. "You're welcome," I smiled.

I heard Edward chuckle. "I know you're trying to hide your blush from me," he teased. "Do I really affect you that much?" he grinned, as I pulled away, my red face intensifying.

"You really want to know?" I asked.

"Yes," he smiled, "I really want to know."

I turned around and started walking for the school doors, too embarrassed to say it while facing him. "Okay, Edward, here it goes. You are to me, what Windex is to Greeks." And before he could respond, I shoved the doors open, quickly walking to the car, not even caring if security was around me or not.

By the time I got to the car, Edward had caught up with me, and opened it, efficiently blocking the hoards of people from my sight. Soon after, he got in as well, and Rae quickly climbed onto his lap, resting her head on his chest, and containing his shirt in a death grip.

I now associated her behavior of wanting to be with Edward not as liking him more than me, but rather as a _need_ to know that he did, in fact, view her as his daughter. It was her way of falsifying what Hannah and Brittany had told her.

"Rae?" I called out. "Have you decided what you're going to do with daddy tomorrow for your show and tell?"

Upon hearing the word 'daddy' Rae's face broke out into a huge smile and upon hearing 'show and tell' her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Yes," Rae giggled, laughing into Edward's shirt, her grip loosening a bit.

"And are you going to tell me what it is?" I asked, smiling over at her.

She shook her head. "It's a surprise," she drawled out.

I knew that to mean that Rae wanted me to be there tomorrow to see her. I smiled, wanting so badly to be there, but also knowing I had to go to work.

"Rae, baby, mommy works tomorrow."

Rae pouted, something she had never done before and I cursed Edward for teaching her my one weakness. Edward obviously couldn't resist, much like I couldn't, and as he chuckled, he leaned toward her to kiss her pout away. "Daddy will make sure mommy's there," Edward smiled.

I swear he was acting as if he was a teacher's pet, Rae being the teacher. He would literally do anything to stay in her good graces.

"Yippee!" Rae shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

Rae's sudden excitement after she'd been so down made me desperately want to figure out how to get off work but I worked as a secretary at a small business owned by an older man and with me being his only other employee besides his daughter, I had no idea how I would get off, knowing he needed me to be there. And besides the fact that my boss was leaning on me, I needed to continue to make money to support my dad, Rae, and myself, as well as paying for Charlie to still live in the house.

I had been thinking through all of this when I realized the car had stopped. I looked up to find Edward giving Rae instructions about staying close to him or me at all times and to not answer anybody's questions if they asked.

Curious as to why we were stopped and where we were at, I looked out the window to find us right in front of Chuck E. Cheese. Looking back over at Rae, I could see her shaking with excitement. The only other time she had been here had been because a kid in her class had thrown his birthday party here. Rae had walked away entranced by the place, always begging to come back.

Of course, time and money had always been an issue, and I opted instead to always take her to the park or some place where it didn't cost very much to get in or to play around.

Edward got out of the car, carrying Rae with him and held his hand out to me. There wasn't as much of a crowd this time, simply because they had no clue where we were going, but once we stepped inside the building, it seemed as if this outing would be more difficult than I thought, as all heads turned our way.

Together we got our hands stamped and went to order some pizza and drinks along with tokens for Rae.

Once Rae had set out with four security guards—at Edward's insistence—we went and found a booth in the far corner, opting for as much privacy as possible.

"Bella, I want to talk to you about coming to Rae's show and tell tomorrow," Edward started.

I sighed. "I want to, Edward, I really do. I just can't. I already told you that I'm barely making ends meet."

"And I already told you that I would take care of you. You and Rae both."

I shook my head back and forth. "I can't let you be our sole provider, Edward."

"And why the hell not?"

I knew he was getting angry. By nature, I had always been stubborn, but I honestly thought it was ridiculous how he couldn't see the absurdity of his question. For one thing, I would feel useless if I didn't do anything. I don't care that Rae views Edward as her father now; I still wanted to contribute financially to the table. And lastly, if the media ever got wind of this, they would immediately think I was after him for his money, which is the furthest thing from the truth.

"Edward," I sighed.

"Don't start, Bella. Just listen to me. You and Rae are moving in with me. And in all honesty, I suggested for Charlie to stay in your current house for selfish reasons. Therefore, I should take care of the payment for the house. Next, Rae is my daughter, in every sense of the word. We're both acknowledging it so there is no harm in me supporting her. And lastly, what is so wrong with me _wanting_ to support you?"

"I'd feel like I would be contributing nothing to this whole dynamic," I sighed, feeling dejected.

"Bella," Edward sighed, reaching his hand across the table to interlink it with mine. "You would become a stay-at-home mom. And don't you dare tell me that being a stay-at-home mom means doing nothing."

I racked my brain for more reasons why I should fight this or how I could make it work as a compromised agreement, when an idea struck me. "If I agree to this, you have to get rid of every single member of your household staff, minus security."

"Bella…"

"No, Edward, listen. I don't want you to fire them. I would feel awful if you did, so just move around their positions, letting them work in one of the other estates you own. If I'm not going to be bringing in an income, I want to feel useful and important. I'll start cleaning the house, doing the laundry and dishes. Everything."

Edward cracked a smile, shaking his head in disbelief. "You really are stubborn."

"So I've been told," I grinned.

"I guess it will just be the three of us, then," he grinned.

"Yep," I agreed. "You, Rae, and me. One, happy family."

**A/N**: Another chapter! I'm an updating machine, my friends. C: I have adored the reviews thus far, especially those that ramble on for five minutes!!

To the **Cookie League**, thank you as always! And once again for being my advanced reader, I praise **SillyLily619**. Lastly, I think everyone owes **DatBengaliFinesse** a huge shout out. She is the reason this story is rated 'M' which will be happening in the future.


	9. 8

_Last Time:_

"I guess it will just be the three of us, then," he grinned.

"Yep," I agreed. "You, Rae, and me. One, happy family."

**:NEWS FLASH:** _So I have finally admitted to myself that I just don't do _slow. _I think it has to do with drawing out a single day into a plethora of chapters. Anyways, slow is not the way I go. So speed along…_

**A/N:** Pictures of Edward's extravagance are on my homepage. Also, money prices will be referred to in American dollars, even though the characters live in Great Britain. For reference, 1 is equivalent to approximately 1.5 euros.

**8**

"Anything else?" Edward asked.

We had been discussing our living situation and now I wanted to move onto a topic that I had been dreading since I knew we had different stances on it.

"Yes," I hesitated.

"Well…" he persisted, grinning, already knowing what it was I wanted to discuss.

"We need to talk about Rae. We need to come to an agreement with how to raise her."

Edward was still grinning. "And what are you suggesting?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm putting you on a limit," I told him.

"A limit of what?"

"A limit of how much money you can spend on her," I explained.

Before totally rejecting me, Edward was at least kind enough to hear me out. He scooted around the 'U' shaped booth so that we were sitting side by side before he spoke again. "And exactly what is my limit?"

"Including clothes, 5,000," I sighed. I knew there was no way he would go for it, but I had to at least try.

"Are you joking?" he asked. When I told him I wasn't, he sighed. "Bella, how do you expect 5,000 to cover everything?"

"I did it on 500. Remember, it doesn't include food and she already has a perfectly capable bedroom set. The money I spent on her was mostly for outings or if she wanted a headband or a book or something. Just because a prince is her father does _not_ mean she will become spoiled."

"And just because her mother was barely making ends meet does _not_ mean she will be deprived," he argued. From his tone of voice I knew he wasn't trying to make a jab at me, but rather trying to prove his point. He really did want to spoil Rae.

I sighed, closing my eyes in frustration. "I knew this would be the part where we would disagree."

"And besides, I already have Alice designing a brand new bedroom for her," he told me. "She also bought Rae a whole new wardrobe and an overflowing chest of toys. And I already placed in an order for one of those multi-story playhouses to put in the backyard along with a miniature red Mercedes for her to drive around," he beamed.

I started banging my head on the table. Unbelievable. He knew _no_ limits.

"You can't just buy her things out of the blue, Edward. How about you cancel the order for the house and the car, and we'll let the new room and toys and clothes be her birthday and Christmas presents for the rest of the year," I compromised.

"Bella," Edward pouted, and damn him for doing so.

"I just don't want her growing up to be a spoiled brat," I pleaded, looking into his eyes to express just how torn I was over this issue.

"We'll make her get a job," he told me.

I laughed. "That was already the plan; at least _my_ plan. I don't see how _you_ would let her work on her own when you can't even let her play on her own," I told him, glancing over toward the ball pit where she was talking to some new friends, security within two feet of her. "_And_," I continued, "with you being her father she would never get real work experience. People will either be hot or cold, wanting to get in her good graces or avoiding her at all costs."

"Being a parent is really complicated, isn't it?" he sighed.

"Yea," I agreed, "but you're terrific at it," I assured him, reaching up to brush a loose strand of hair out his eyes.

As I went to pull my hand away, he caught my wrist and placed my hand in both of his, running patterns over it with his thumb. "Bella," he sighed, his eyes darker and heavier.

"Hmm?" I questioned, my eyelids drooping. I started nibbling on my lips, as some sort of distraction.

"Are we…just Rae's parents, or are _we_…something more?"

I looked down at our hands, the way mine fit into both of his like a foot fits into a shoe. We were molded and formed for one another that it almost seemed too perfect.

"What do _you_ think?" I asked cautiously.

"I _am_ your Windex," he grinned.

"That you are," I smiled.

After a brief silence, Edward unwrapped one of his hands from mine and moved it to my chin, pulling my face back up to meet him. "So," he started, trailing one of his fingers from the tip of my chin along my jaw line. "Should we give _us_ a shot?" he questioned, placing a strand of hair behind my ear before moving his hand back down to my cheek. My breathing was rapid and my heart was pounding. "What do you say, Bella?" he whispered, letting his thumb move back and forth lazily across my cheek.

"Mmm," I muttered.

"What was that?" he grinned, inching his face closer to mine as if he couldn't hear me.

"Mhmm," I repeated.

"Is that a yes?" he whispered hoarsely, his thumb now tracing the outline of my lips.

I had tried to tell him twice. Just because I was incapable of speech, didn't mean he had to draw this torture on for so long. I wrapped my arm around his neck, closing the last inch between us and pressed my mouth to his, savoring the soft, delicate nature of his lips mixed with the rough and passionate way he kissed. I felt myself drowning in this kiss, not caring that I needed to resurface for air.

With my other arm, I lazily dragged my hand up his chest and around his neck, then slowly pulled my lips away, resting my head against his shoulder. Softly, I felt him stroke my hair before putting his lips next to my ear, quickly granting it a kiss. "Not to be redundant, but is that a yes?" he chuckled.

I shoved against him, smiling, though I desperately wanted to hide it. "Yes, that is a yes. And yes, you _so_ just ruined the moment. And don't you dare pout," I commanded, knowing that was his next move which would totally weaken my resolve of not giving him another kiss—at least until my heart could handle it.

"Fine," he relented, struggling to keep his lips from falling down.

"Does this count as our first date?" I asked, laughing. I was, after all, at Chuck E. Cheese, with a prince who had just kissed me senseless. We could be in a mud cave and I would still remember this moment forever.

"If I say yes, can we seal our agreement with a kiss?" he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "I think I'm going to have to start limiting the number of times you are allowed to seduce me as well," I remarked.

"Really?" he asked, bringing his face closer, his smirk only widening when he saw how much of an affect he was having on me.

Those bright, illuminating, green eyes.

That golden brown hair that swept perfectly across his face.

The perfect, sparkling, white teeth.

The _man_.

Perfection reincarnated did have a name and Edward Cullen was it. And so help me God if I can't resist him—he's too sexy for his own good.

"Bella," he whispered. "Am I seducing you right now?"

I practically moaned when he whispered that in my ear, his lips trailing down my jaw to the outset of my lips. He was teasing me.

"Am I?"

"Yes," I muttered, my eyes falling close as I revisited the most glorious sensation of his lips on mine.

The kiss was quick, as Edward pulled back, grinning like an idiot. "I definitely know how to get my way," he gleamed, not able to keep the stupid grin off his face.

"Just don't get cocky," I warned, knowing how to admit defeat.

He just smiled, but said nothing else, since our food and drinks were brought to the table. Edward tipped the man, rather generously, causing me to glare at him.

"What?" he shrugged. "I wasn't flaunting the wealth, I was just sharing in my good fortune."

"I've created a cocky monster," I muttered.

"I might add horny to that list," he grinned, while I slapped him.

"Edward! This is a children's place. Control yourself."

He laughed, scooting out of the booth to go and get Rae. I swear, that man was going to be the death of me. He knew when to turn it on and when to turn it off. Sweet and cuddly with Rae; hot and sexy with me.

Rae came back with a confused expression on her face while Edward came back red-faced and laughing.

"What's going on, you two?" I smiled.

"I don't know, mommy," Rae pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Edward. "Daddy's just weird."

He chuckled, helping Rae into the booth and scooting her over so that she was sitting in between us.

As Edward leaned over to give me a quick peck on the cheek, he whispered in my ear what had him laughing so hard.

"I found Rae talking to a little boy and I reminded her that she was too young to have a boyfriend and she marched out of the ball pit, walked right up to me, and said 'Daddy, do you expect me to date girls instead?!'"

My mouth dropped open. "Edward! You single-handedly turned our daughter into a lesbian." I was still in shocked over what Rae had said that I didn't even notice when she started to put pizza on everyone's plate. "Where do you think she learned to say things like that?" I whispered to Edward.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Bella, kids seem to know everything these days. They lose their innocence much quicker now than when we were children."

I sighed. It was true. Children of today knew much more than they should.

"Which is why," Edward began, "I want to spoil Rae with toys and gifts and clothes, and most importantly, love. It will keep her from being bored and doing things she isn't supposed to be doing."

"We're back to this again?" I sighed. "I do approve of getting her some new toys but the way you were talking earlier sounds ridiculous. That's too extravagant."

"Nothing's too much for Rae," Edward stated, in all seriousness, as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

"How about we just start discussing purchases before they are made on a whim?" I negotiated.

"Now that seems very fair," Edward grinned, trying to lean over to give me a kiss at the same time Rae picked up a slice of pizza.

"Daddy!" Rae giggled, looking at his face. "You have sauce all around your mouth and some on your nose."

I watched happily as Rae grabbed a napkin and tried to reach up to wipe off Edward's face. He obviously had to lean down so she could reach him, and when she was all finished, she gave him a peck on the lips. "All done!" she exclaimed.

Edward smiled adoringly at her and picked her up to sit on his lap as he scooted to sit right next to me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Much better," he sighed.

And it was.

**A/N:** There is a new poll up on my profile page, which is—again—purely for my benefit and informational purposes. As always, I love the reviews and I appreciate people putting so much effort into writing me nice long ones. C:

Thanks to the **Cookie League **family and to **SillyLily619**.


	10. 9

_Last Time:_

"Much better," he sighed.

And it was.

**:NOTICE:** Just because someone brought it up, I figured I would address it. I'm seeing this story not having major drama. Yes, there will be ups and downs in the story, but I mostly like keeping something like this happy, so I'm sorry if you were looking for a huge scandal…I don't foresee it happening. I'd like to call this a journey rather than a story so sorry if it's not your cup of tea. (

**A/N:** Kudos to **InsatiableHanner** and **xxxRubyxxx** for having brains. Sterlings, people, not euros. Got it!

**9**

By the time we left Chuck E. Cheese, it was four in the afternoon. Rae was dead on her feet and I picked her up, carrying her out to the car that was waiting for us.

By now, word had gotten out of where the Crown Prince was at and a mob of people seemed to take up the whole parking lot and surrounding areas; it was a madhouse. Unfortunately for Edward and me, it woke up a crabby Rae, who hadn't had her nap yet.

The whole way home, Rae wrestled with sleep, switching between Edward and myself to try and find a comfortable position.

"Mommy?" Rae asked, as she started to fake cough.

"Yes, sweetheart," I responded, lifting my head off of Edward's shoulder.

"Can I pleeease get a soda?"

I nudged Edward, preventing him from saying anything, knowing he was about to comply. "Rae, you just had a soda back at Chuck E Cheese. That's enough for today."

"But, mommy," Rae sniffled, her eyes starting to water. This was the true sign that she was tired. She knew she was only allowed to have one soda a day and normally she wouldn't whine about it. But without having her nap, this was going to turn into a sob fest.

"Rae, I said it the first time. No more soda for you. You've had enough junk food for today."

She started to pretend to cough again. "But my throat hurts," she whispered.

"Really?" I asked. When she nodded her head, I told her to open her mouth wide and stick out her tongue so I could see. "Oh no, Rae! You do. I'll have to get you some cold water. Lots of water…" I grinned, knowing that Rae disliked water as much as she disliked green beans.

Her brows furrowed together and she promptly shut her mouth. "Daddy…" Rae turned to Edward and I immediately knew we were hopeless. He really, physically, could not say 'no' to her. If I didn't think it was so cute, I'd consider it pathetic.

Rae was now putting on a show for Edward with tears still streaming down her face and a pouty, puppy dog face. She then moved from my lap to sit on Edward's. "I love you, daddy," Rae whispered.

Doomed. That was the only word that came to mind. The first time Rae says 'I love you' in that way to Edward should have been a memorable moment, but it wasn't; Rae was being manipulative and knew exactly what she was doing. Creative little sneak.

Edward had caved. I knew it and Rae knew it.

I crossed my arms across my chest and raised my eyebrows pointedly at him. "Edward?" I questioned.

He snapped his head up from looking at Rae to look at me, and then cleared his throat. "Oh, right. Rae, baby, I'm sorry, mommy says no soda."

What is wrong with this picture? 'Mommy' is the bad guy now?

Rae burst into full out hysterics and Edward grabbed her up into his arms. She just started beating on his chest, though I'm sure no damage was done with her being so small and him being so muscular, and fit, and divine…

Rae was in tantrum mode now. And it was obvious that Edward did not like seeing his princess unhappy. "How about an ice cream instead, Rae?" he asked, soothing her unruly hair down.

"Ice cream?" she sniffled.

"Any flavor you want with any toppings," he smiled.

"Okay!" Rae exclaimed, tears gone, fake sore throat gone, all attitude…gone.

"Edward!" I scolded. "What was the one thing I had said she had eaten enough of?"

Edward took a moment to run through the conversation from early in his head before he seemed to realize the answer and looked guilty. "Junk food?" he guessed.

"Yes, Edward," I told him, sounding very much like his own parent. "And what exactly is ice cream?"

"Dairy products, mommy," Rae smiled. "You should know that." She patted my leg in reassurance before sitting back in her seat.

"Yeah, mommy," Edward grinned.

I glared at Edward and then turned to look out the window, effectively ignoring him. It was childish, but it was all I knew how to do.

Not ten seconds later, I felt the spot next to me sink in and then I felt his lips on my neck, kissing me painstakingly slow with feather light touches. "Mmm," Edward whispered. "You smell divine." He continued his assault on my neck, and then with his fingers, tiptoed up my arm, caressing it seductively. "But you _taste_ even better."

I tried to steer my thoughts away from the absolutely tempting seducer. Edward and Rae really were father and daughter. They both used their adorably cute—in Edward's case, smokingly handsome—looks to get what they wanted. Damn people who have that talent.

"Bella," Edward whispered, running his hand back down my arm until our hands were clasped together. "What are you think about, dear?" His kisses were now nearing my face, and I was tempted to turn my head the slightest, just to get a tiny taste of his heavenly lips. "It wouldn't be…me…perchance, would it?" he grinned, breaking his assault on my face to quickly kiss my hand before releasing it and leaning back, looking as smug as ever.

"You're a tease, Edward," I huffed.

"No, darling, you are just easy to seduce," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes but I couldn't be mad at him. I leaned back against him, on the opposite side of where Rae was now finally in a peaceful sleep.

"So?" I questioned. "Should we go tell Charlie about the move or get Rae's ice cream first?"

"Ice cream first, for sure. That way Rae is content in case Charlie isn't too…happy…about the situation."

"You're handsome _and_ you're smart," I teased. "Me likey."

"Mmm," Edward grinned, kissing my lips, "you better like."

I smiled, leaning back against him. "Hey, Edward?" I called out, after a moment of peaceful silence.

"Yeah, hun?"

I moved around in my seat so that I could look up at him. "I just thought of something," I muttered.

"And?"

"And I haven't given my two weeks notice. I can't just quit out of the blue," I sighed.

Edward leaned his head back in frustration, knowing I was right. "Can't I just—"

"No!" I quickly interrupted. Edward most likely wanted to generously compensate the man for my leave of absence and I wouldn't allow it.

"Fine then. How about you give your two weeks notice over the phone tonight and while you're at it take tomorrow off? What's the worst he could do? Fire you?"

I sighed. "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," he smiled in a genuine way, no cockiness whatsoever. "Trust me, Bella, okay? You and me, Rae and me, you and Rae, all of us, we're all going to work out fine. Trust me."

I nodded my head. "I do trust you, Edward," I mumbled as I laid my head back down on his shoulder and shut my eyes.

Before I knew it, Edward was jostling me awake so we could go inside the ice cream parlor. Getting out of the car, Edward and I each took one of Rae's hands and swung her back and forth as we walked in, laughing the whole way at Rae's continuous giggles.

As we waited in line at the counter, a plan on how to get Edward back for giving into Rae so easily came to mind. I smiled, thinking of how small a gesture it was but how big a deal Edward would make out of it.

A few brave people came up to Edward asking for his autograph since security was not in line with us. After that, quite a crowd started to draw and Edward seemed to be the dessert before _the_ dessert.

I noticed Rae's face scrunch up in confusion, not understanding why a herd of people was talking to her dad. She went to tug on his pants leg, trying to get his attention back on her.

"Rae," I warned her, picking her up into my arms, and moving ahead a little in the line. "Daddy's busy," I explained.

"What is he doing?" she asked, looking over my shoulder, a look of deep concentration spreading over her face.

"A lot of people know who your daddy is so they're just talking to him, getting pictures with him, and having him sign autographs," I told her, as we once again moved up in the line. If all those fans could keep Edward busy, my plan would go off without a hitch.

"Can I have daddy's autograph?" she asked.

I laughed, kissing her slightly pink cheeks. "Of course you can, you'll just have to ask him," I smiled.

Rae started squirming around in my arms, asking to be let down. I set her on the floor, just as I stepped up to order her a small chocolate ice cream.

Quickly, I handed over the cash, my little payback going smoothly. There was no way Edward would be happy about me paying.

I looked over my shoulder, just to make sure he was still busy, when I saw Rae working her way through the line with a napkin in hand.

As soon as I got my change back, I rushed over to the mob, trying to get to Rae so she wouldn't disturb Edward, but he saw her first.

"Hey, princess," he smiled, as he finished signing a waffle cone—weird, I know.

The crowd 'awed', which I actually found disturbing since in no way were they affiliated with Rae or Edward. If any other man were to say that to his daughter, a group of people cooing over how adorable it was would seem psychotic.

"Can I have your autograph, daddy?" Rae asked, holding out her napkin for him to sign.

Edward laughed and picked her up easily, planting a kiss on the corner of her lips. His eyes met mine through the crowd and I shrugged, smiling.

"Rae, let me finish up here okay, sweetheart? If you go back with mommy, we can get your ice cream in a minute," he reasoned with her.

By the time Rae got back over to me, because of different people snapping her picture—which bothered me immensely—her ice cream, which I opted to have in a small bowl so she wouldn't make as much of a mess, was ready.

We walked over to a small table, farthest from the commotion, and Rae set about happily telling me about the new friends she had met at Chuck E. Cheese. In the middle of telling me about the little boy she had met, which I was happy Edward wasn't there to hear about, Rae squealed. I looked up to find Edward joining us. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and slid into the seat across from us.

"And how are my two favorite girls?" Edward grinned, a smile that I realized was filled with love. It was _our_ smile.

"Daddy!" Rae giggled. "You forgot _my_ kiss."

"Well, I'll have to fix that, won't I? How about a kiss for a bite of ice cream?"

Edward and Rae got to bartering, Rae walking out of it with three kisses while Edward got the smallest bite of ice cream I'd ever seen.

"Great negotiation skills there, prince," I joked.

He laughed. "You know, she'd be a good weapon to use. She could have grown men on their knees; she's that hard to resist."

I smiled, glancing around the ice cream parlor. I had never realized it before, but almost everyone's eyes were on us. It was a bit unnerving and I wanted to get Rae out of here as soon as I could.

"Edward, do you think Rae could eat the ice cream in the car?"

He looked at me, narrowing his eyes in question, but agreed.

Once back in the car, I saddled up close to Edward. "Everyone's eyes were on us," I whispered. "And when Rae was walking away from you earlier, a few people snapped pictures of her. I'm not going to lie, I don't like this at all, but when Rae is involved, it absolutely terrifies me."

Edward put his arm around me, and I rested my head against his chest. "Bella, trust me, I don't like it anymore than you do. There's not much I can do about it without either spending a lot of money or taking away Rae's semi-normal life."

I sighed. There was always the left unsaid option. But I couldn't do that to Rae. And I think, selfishly so, I couldn't do that to me either. Edward was now our life, much like we were his. "Lots of security," I whispered to Edward.

He flashed me a grin. "Did I just hear you indirectly tell me to spend money?"

I nudged him while rolling my eyes. "You are a smug, smug man," I told him.

"Now, speaking about money, how much do I owe you for sleeping beauty's ice cream?"

I looked over at Rae and noticed she had indeed fallen asleep again, ice cream coating all around her lips like a brown, delicious-looking lipstick.

"Nope, that's your punishment. Every time you give into Rae when you really shouldn't have, _I_ pay for the damage. It will teach you to be much more careful," I grinned.

"You are an evil, evil woman, Bella Swan," Edward whispered, nuzzling my neck with his nose, planting kisses along my collarbone.

"And you are a handsome, handsome tempter who does not have the time to seduce me since we just pulled up to the house." I flashed him a coy smile, knowing that I had won that round, as he groaned, but got out of the car.

I took a deep breath, getting out after Rae. It was now or never. But either way I would walk out of here as a now permanent resident of the Cullen household; whether Charlie approved or not.

**A/N: **I'm seriously blown away by the _quality_ of the reviews; much appreciated!! And, of course, it wouldn't be my ending A/N if I didn't give my love to the **Cookie League** or give praise and thanks to **SillyLily619** who told me to shut up about the self-conscious writing. C: She also happened to push me into writing another TNYL chapter for this weekend, so that's next on my plate…

**:EXPLANATION:** Just to let all you lovelies know, next chapter is show and tell. There will only be a reference to Charlie's reaction. I feel like if I put it in, it will be too repetitive because of all the stories that have Charlie's reaction to Edward and Bella getting engaged. Agree/disagree?


	11. 10

Last Time: It was now or never

_Last Time: _It was now or never. But either way I would walk out of here as a now permanent resident of the Cullen household; whether Charlie approved or not.

**A/N: InsatiableHanner **is a modern day Einstein. There is no "kindergarten" over in England, but after explaining what they do have, I realized it was as confusing as hell, thus it remains "kindergarten".

Also, a very concerned reviewer brought up something and I would just like to reiterate it. This story is _fictional_ so please do not go run off with a guy one day after knowing him and move in with him, eh? For my sake?

**10**

I could hear Rae giggling, Edward trying to keep her distracted from my sullen expression.

The three of us were on our way to Rae's school, inside of a heavily armored, black limo. Now we couldn't even walk Rae the few blocks to her school. It wasn't surprising that word had gotten out of our very family-like outings, it was just shocking how quick it had spread. It was like wild fire and nothing could put it out.

All over the Internet and television, especially in almost every paper and tabloid were pictures of Rae and that was the most disheartening.

I knew Edward was worried about how I was taking all of this sudden attention, and I was doing fine, I really was. I was just worried about how this would affect Rae. I thought rumors in high school were bad, but I knew that the media was even more relentless, always out to make a buck. My only fear was that by bringing all of us together, people who didn't even know us could tear us apart.

That was why I was so happy to move in with Edward. It meant even more time that we could spend with him, getting to know each other even better, and growing as a family.

When I had called to give my two weeks notice, the owner had been completely understanding, telling me if he found someone to replace me sooner, I could quit then. Edward was obviously ecstatic about that, not liking the fact that he couldn't be around me every second of every day, as if two security guards weren't enough. If I hadn't stopped him, Edward would have done his own search for the perfect candidate to overtake my position.

Even with all of that, those things seemed to be the least of our problems. When I had told Charlie that I was moving in with Edward, he absolutely forbade it. He didn't trust Edward, which was understandable, but what hurt the most was that he didn't trust me and my decision. I knew Edward and I were moving fast—extremely so—but that didn't take away from the fact that it felt _right_. No one can artificially make that type of feeling and when you have it, you know how rare it is.

It wasn't that I thought Edward and I were creating a perfect, make-shift family; it was that I knew we could, and one day would, become something more. Our life together wasn't going to be perfect, but it was going to feel right, which was the most important thing to me. Because it felt right, I knew Rae and I would have a stable, loving, and caring home. There was nothing more that I could ask for than that.

But when Charlie became furious, I resorted to telling him that I was an adult who could make my own decisions. Legally, he could no longer do that for me. After saying that, Charlie dropped the argument, knowing I was right. I could see how disheartened he was, though, and I felt bad for doing that to him, but I realized it was time to start living my own life, and that started with Edward.

"One! Two! _Three_!" I faintly heard Edward calling out, but I was too lost in my thoughts to know his reasoning. It wasn't until after he shouted 'three' that I realized what was going on.

Suddenly, I was attacked by Rae's tiny little hands, tickling me everywhere, as well as Edward's large hands, disguising his groping as tickling. I laughed out loud, happily welcoming the distraction.

"Does that tickle, mommy?" Rae giggled.

"Sure does, sweetheart," I lied, not wanting to tell her the real reason I was laughing was because Edward wasn't actually tickling me, but running his hands along the contours of my body; he thought he was so sneaky.

"Edward!" I gasped in shock, pushing his wandering hands away from my breasts. "Not in front of our daughter!" I hissed.

"_Our_ daughter?" he mumbled, bringing his face closer to mine. "Mmm, I like that sound of that."

I laid my hands on his chest, trying to push him away so Rae wouldn't see our lust-filled make-out session. Edward was too strong though, smirking as he leered even closer.

"She's not looking," he whispered, peppering my face with little kisses.

"She could," I gasped, as his hands ran up the length of my arms to grab a firm hold on my neck, tilting it to his pleasure. "Any second, she could," I repeated.

"One second is all it takes," he mumbled, attaching his lips to mine. And he was right. The second he did that, I was done for, moving my hands from his chest, to the hairs on the back of his neck, pulling my body even closer to his.

I opened my mouth to tell him to stop when he slid his tongue in, sweetly massaging the inside of my mouth and teasing my own tongue with the fight for dominance.

Slowly, but ever so painfully, he pulled away, licking my bottom lip with a tiny bite, before cupping my face with his hands.

"You're so beautiful, Bella," he murmured, his thumbs running tantalizingly over my cheeks, causing a severe blush to break out. "So incredibly beautiful."

"Sir, we are here," the driver interrupted, rolling back up the divider.

I turned in my seat, seeing Rae looking at us with a huge grin on her face. "I wish Brad would kiss _me_ like that!" she exclaimed.

I stifled a laugh, too amused by her comment to be embarrassed at her seeing our intimate connection.

Edward, however, was not amused. "If Brad touches you at all, anywhere, you let me know. I swear, if he lays a single hand on you, he can move to America where I have no jurisdiction and can't do anything to him."

I raised my eyebrows and this time couldn't keep my laugh in.

"Edward, I don't think you can do anything to a five year old boy," I laughed.

"Actually, mommy, Brad is _six_!" Rae exclaimed.

Edward turned toward me. "An older man?" he questioned, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Edward, calm down. It's not serious okay? When's she's thirteen, then you can start freaking out," I soothed, running a hand up and down his chest to comfort him.

"Fine," he pouted, getting out of the limo as the chauffer held the door open and scooping Rae up into his arms. I had a feeling he wouldn't want to let her down once inside the classroom, afraid that at five, she'd run off and find another man to be the center of her universe.

Edward helped me out, slipping his arm around my waist, as security pushed photographers and fans aside, making our trip to the front steps of the school, less painful.

Once inside, some security stayed by our side as an added precaution, while others were assigned posts by all the school doors, making sure no unwanted visitor could sneak inside.

We arrived at Rae's classroom, and she wiggled to be let down, which I could tell led to an internal battle for Edward. Finally, he released her, watching her every move as she made her way over to a group of friends in the back of the room.

When she sat down next to Brad, Edward's eyes narrowed, and his hand tightened around my waist, but he didn't say anything.

"So do I get the exclusive on what you and Rae will be doing or do I have to wait like everyone else?"

Edward cracked a smile, glancing down at me. "Exclusives cost," he whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the sensitive hairs there. "What are you willing to give me in return?" he questioned, smirking slightly.

I shoved his hand off my waist, and rolled my eyes. "In front of Rae is one thing, Edward," I admonished, "but in front of a classroom of little kids is just wrong. Where are your morals?"

He grinned, but didn't respond, as the teacher shuffled all the parents who came to watch to the back. I noticed that quite a few of the parents had their eyes trained on Edward, and it disturbed me that some might be here simply to see him instead of their own kid.

"Once all the students are seated and the parents are in the back, we can begin show and tell," the teacher exclaimed, a smile as bright as the sun appearing on her face.

The little kids cheered and clapped, someone shouting out, "Wicked!"

I noticed the teacher give the little boy a pointed look, while Edward leaned closer to me. "That kid is trouble," he sighed, to which I noticed 'that kid' was Brad.

"All kids are trouble at this age," I responded.

He rolled his eyes. "Not our Rae," he answered simply.

I sighed. She would forever be Edward's little princess.

"Alright, then. If everyone is situated, let's start the show!"

I turned toward Edward, surprised. "She's not going to introduce you?" I asked, since every other time we had been here, the teacher had made a huge production out of Edward's presence, morning and afternoons.

"I asked her not to," Edward whispered back as a little kid got set up. "After all, I am _Rae'_s show and tell object."

I smiled, but didn't comment as the first boy went.

There were only 13 kids in Rae's class, and some of the things that the kids brought were typical: a pet, a toy, a movie, but all the kids seemed to love every single one, asking questions afterward, and passing around the object, if possible.

When it came time for Brad to go, Edward took on a threatening stance, standing up to his fall height and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Down, tiger," I giggled, as Edward shot me a teasing look.

"For show and tell, I brought my mommy." The audience awed as Brad gave a toothy grin.

I could tell Edward was not happy that everyone else seemed to be so accepting of Brad. Just because Edward didn't like Brad, didn't mean the whole world had to hate the poor six year old.

"My mommy helps to make my breakfasts and lunches in the morning and she always makes me dinner and sometimes dessert! She's my favoritest mommy and that's why I brought her to show and tell," he finished, after counting off all the reason he loved her, using his fingers and even one toe, which was utterly adorable.

After that, a few more children went before it was Rae's turn. All the little kids acted the same—excited, as always—though I could tell the adults perked up more.

"For show and tell, I brought my brand new daddy," Rae smiled, her eyes lighting up with so much happiness.

I leaned into Edward, whispering, "She makes you sound like a new car."

He grinned, and kissed me quickly on the lips. "I have the speed, power, and stamina, but only _you_ need to know that," he winked, as he made his way up to the front of the room.

I blushed and looked down, though it felt like every single pair of eyes were on me. Who knew the prince was so horny? I wasn't complaining though!

"This," Rae flourished, making a huge entrance for Edward, "is my daddy. You can call him Mister Edward because that is what I used to call him before he became my daddy."

I looked down at the little kids and saw Jessica and Lauren's daughters, rolling their eyes. Those two were the ones who had gone after Rae, making her upset, which in turn caused Edward to be upset.

I saw Edward eyeing them, too, and I just knew he would make a spectacle specifically to taunt them. He was already fiercely protective of his little girl.

Edward smiled, picking up Rae. "And this," he said, introducing Rae, "is my little princess."

"Daddy!" Rae squealed and giggled.

After a cute moment shared between the two, and a quick kiss to her nose, Edward watched as Rae tapped her chin in thought. She leaned in to whisper something in his ear and a confused expression crossed his face before he shook his head.

Rae turned back to the audience. "Daddy says that even though he became _my_ daddy he can't be _everybody's_ daddy, but I will share him with everyone and we can all be friends," she nodded, proud of her little negotiation with everyone. Edward grinner, pride glinting in his eyes.

The kids stared wide-eyed at Edward, while the parents were soaking everything in, either to gossip about it, or undoubtedly leak it to the tabloids. Edward and I both knew it was inevitable, we just wished people wouldn't use such an innocent activity for their personal gain.

"The reason I brought him for show and tell is because he is the best daddy in the whole entire world, universe, and all the galaxies combined. He's a prince and lives in a castle and when he marries my mommy, we'll be princesses! And then we will all live happily ever after!" Rae grinned, loving her theatrical story, and started pointing to people who had their hands raised for questions.

"Can we all come over to the castle?" an excited little girl asked.

Edward smiled easily, already wonderful with children, and answered the question easily. "Actually, the castles that we do have, aren't very close to here, but we do live in a palace here." Once he said that, the kids let out excited squeals.

"So can we go to the palace then?" the little girl shouted out.

"If Rae invites you, then sure," he said hesitantly, and I knew his aversion to answering the question. Him saying that meant kids would try and get Rae to invite them over, making it harder to decipher who her true friends were and would be.

Edward locked gazes with me and smiled slightly, before turning his attention back to Rae.

Finishing the yielding of questions, Edward set Rae down with a kiss, and made his way back over to me.

After every kid ended their show and tell, there was a small reception with drinks and cookies, to which everyone was invited.

We made our way to the cafeteria, and all the little kids scampered toward the tray with cookies, filling their plates high. When I saw Rae's amount of four large cookies and five Oreos, I made my way over to her, snapping some up. "One cookie, Rae," I told her while she pouted.

"But it's a special occasion, mommy. I bet daddy would let me have them!"

I grinned, kissing her forehead and putting her cookies on a separate plate, leaving one large cookie and two Oreos for her. "I bet he would," I agreed. "But that's fair, isn't it?"

She knotted her eyebrows in frustration but agreed, and happily started chatting again with the kids at her table.

I made my way back over to the table Edward and I had sat down at, only to find it flocked with people. When Edward saw me, relief splashed over his face, and he pulled out my chair.

"Cookies?" I asked, grinning.

"You stole them from my little princess, didn't you?" he responded, kissing my cheek.

"_Our_ little princess," I corrected him, smiling. "And, yes, I did."

He laughed and together we got through the rest of the reception, pointedly fielding the anxious people and their questions.

It didn't matter what they wanted to know or what type of rumors they would spread around. Together, we would get through it, Edward and I proud parents of _our_ little girl.

**A/N: **I had almost 90 reviews! Can we shoot for 100?? That would be awesome! Also, fun little game for you! When typing this chapter, I realized how much I used the word 'that'. If you're super bored, go back and count how many times I used _that_ word, LOL!

Finally, I'm sorry for the delay. I'm quite sick and will be starting therapy soon so I'm not sure how frequent the updates will be. To know what is continually going on with me, check out my blog on my homepage, or my livejournal page.

Thank you to **SillyLily619** for forcing me to get this chapter out!! And much love to my cookie sisters in the **Cookie League** for entertaining me while sick!!

**:ANNOUNCEMENT:** There is a picture of Brad on my website. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!


	12. 11

_Last Time: _It didn't matter what they wanted to know or what type of rumors they would spread around. Together, we would get through it, Edward and I proud parents of _our_ little girl.

**:WARNING:** I have been asked to let you know when things get a little smutty. There is no intercourse in this chapter, but there are some highly suggestive thoughts. Be on the look out if you're scared of "bedroom talk", or be on the look out if it totally turns you on! (;

**A/N: **For all those curious people out there, 'that' was used 45 times in the _actual_ story! 47 times if you want to include the author's note at the end, hehe.

**11**

News got out of Rae's show and tell speech. Someone had apparently recorded the whole thing and then sold it exclusively to _The Sun_ for five hundred thousand dollars before it was leaked to other media outlets.

Edward was furious, on the phone with the royal family's lawyers to see if there was any basis for suing the paper and the people who leaked the video; there wasn't. Parents had been free to record the so-called "show" and that made Edward even more upset, arguing that they better do something or he would fire them.

In the end, Edward finally got his pompous head out of the clouds and realized he wasn't the be-all-end-all. The lawyers apologized, even though, in my opinion, Edward should have been the one apologizing for threatening their jobs when they were only _doing_ their job, and Edward continued to stomp around the house, barking orders to staff members and furiously declining all calls.

Currently, Rae was in the playroom with a nanny and at least four security guards; Edward had gone off the deep end.

"Edward, you have to calm down," I soothed, running my hand up and down his bare chest.

He sighed, gently wrapping his own hand around mine and moving it up to his mouth, where he tenderly placed a kiss on it.

"It frustrates me so damn much," he gritted out, looking out the balcony window.

We were both in his bed, lying down comfortably. I had to steer Edward in here just so he wouldn't go on a rampage, scaring everyone in sight.

"I know it does, Edward. She's my daughter, too. But you have to realize that being a father and being a prince are two completely different things. Being a prince, you might be able to control everything and have anything you want on a whim, but being a parent is so much different. You can't control your child, you can only hope you're leading them in the right direction."

Edward pursed his lips, in obvious displeasure. Though I had seen the compassionate and loving side of him, I still knew there was that side of him that was always used to getting what he wanted and people obeying his every command.

"You can't take your anger out on your staff, Edward," I reprimanded. "That was uncalled for. I know you're upset with what happened, and believe me, I am, too, but there is only so much you can do. Just don't let it get to you, is all I'm saying," I finished, smiling gently at him.

We stayed silent for a while, Edward absorbing what I had said and contemplating, while I stared at his rough features, wanting so badly for them to smooth away.

"Rae's really done a number on me," he spoke silently, still staring out into space.

"What do you mean?" I asked gently, prodding for him to open up.

"Like you said, I'm so used to getting everything I want or people hanging onto my every word. With Rae in my life, I feel helpless and out of control. I want so much for her, but I never wanted _this_," he sighed, referring to the constant media attention. "I feel like because I can't control it, I'm being a bad parent."

"Edward!" I laughed. "Your anger toward this situation is apparent. Rae already knows you love her and I think she likes seeing herself on TV and in the papers. It's us, as her parents, who don't want that. In time, the whole excitement will wear off of her, but until then, we just have to keep letting her be a child and grow up as normally as possible."

"I know," he sighed, cupping my face in his hands, gently rubbing circles with his thumbs. "I want so badly to lock her away just to keep her protected but I want her to have a normal life, too. God, this is so much harder than I ever thought it would be; it's even harder than when I get boners from just looking at you," he teased.

"You did not just say that," I laughed, rolling my eyes at his one-track mind.

"Mmm," he smiled, his lips so close to mine, I could feel his breath on my face. "I did say that, and I do get hard just from looking at you, my beautiful Bella."

I was lost for words, my breath coming in short gasps of air, my eyes zeroed in on his heavenly lips.

While I was staring at his lips like someone in a desert needing water, he flipped me onto my back, grabbing my wrists and holding them above my head.

"Do you feel it, Bella?" he whispered, his lips now near my ear, causing his words to melt through them like honey, my body reacting to his soft words, yet hard touch.

"Yes," I whispered, staring up into his darkened eyes.

"That's what _you_ do to me, Bella. No one else. Only you." His words were so forceful, so commanding, that I could only whimper in response. He was so used to being in command, but when he was dominant in this way, there was no way I would be complaining.

His lips moved tortuously slow onto mine, barely meeting them as they touched. I tried to deepen the kiss, wanting the amazing torture to end, but he pulled away, smirking at me.

"Patience, my Bella," he whispered, licking his lips, before placing a lingering kiss on my forehead and rolling off of me.

I swallowed, trying to spit out some words along the way. "You want me to be patient _now_?" I barked out. Our relationship had been anything but patient; we were a high-speed train, with no way to stop.

He smirked again, seeming to understand my train of thought, before getting up from the bed. "Our daughter's here," he laughed, turning his head back around to wink at me.

I looked around, and sure enough there was Rae, holding the hand of her nanny.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Your Highness," the girl said, nervously.

"You can call him Mister Edward," Rae piped in, looking up at the girl as a newly found friend.

The girl hesitated and glanced at Edward under her eyelashes, a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Come here, Rae," he smiled, picking her up as she giggled and giving her a quick kiss.

Edward nodded to the girl, dismissing her, while she curtsied and walked out of the room.

When he walked back over to the bed and laid down with Rae on his chest, he whispered in my ear. "Close call," he smirked, to which I rolled my eyes, glancing down at his pants, where the bulge had seemed to die down a little bit. "Now, now, Bella. Don't be getting any thoughts in front of our daughter," he said, in mock seriousness.

I giggled and turned on my side to face the two of them. "You do realize that in two days we'll be moving in here and the staff will have to be gone," I warned.

He looked at me incredulously. "You were serious?"

"Was and still am. And absolutely no firing them. I don't want them losing their jobs because of me."

He grunted noncommittally and turned his attention back to Rae.

"Daddy, why didn't you tell her she could call you Mister Edward?" Rae asked, confused.

Edward looked at me for help, but I simply raised my eyebrows, wanting to know the same thing.

"Most people have to address me using my title, Rae, except for you and mommy and the rest of our family."

"But if _I_ tell them it's okay, is it okay?" Rae continued.

Edward was at a loss for words. He always agreed to whatever Rae wanted, but this time, he had his "prestigious title" to think about.

I rolled my eyes. "The girl is only going to be here for today and Thursday, Edward. It's not that big of a deal."

"It's the principal of the thing," he muttered.

"No, it's your inflated ego," I laughed, to which he sulked.

"Fine," he relented, officially ending that discussion. "You know, I think Rae should go to a private school," he told me, while Rae had Barbies walking across Edward's chest.

"What happened to raising her normally?" I questioned.

"Normal people go to private schools," he argued. "And she'd be safer."

"Edward, I know normal people go to private schools, but normal people don't go to exclusive private schools," I told him, knowing he was trying to wheedle a 'yes' out of me.

"But then we won't have to deal with the paparazzi or people trying to sell information, photos, or whatever about her for money."

And that, I couldn't argue with. "We'll visit some over the summer," I relented. "But she's not going somewhere uber exclusive," I warned.

"I know," he laughed. "You would never allow it."

"And don't forget it," I teased.

"Mmm, I won't," he smiled, leaning in for a kiss, which I happily granted. "Now, about those rumors Rae started," he said, referring to Rae's child talk from show and tell. "I think we should address them. My publicist has done the best he can to field them, but an interview with a magazine would probably be best."

"I can't do that!" I argued. "I'm going to make myself look like an idiot."

He grinned cheekily. "No you won't. Besides, Alice is dying to get her hands on you and prepare you. She'll teach you to dress properly, how to respond, and all that jazz."

I glared at him, not wanting to take part in any of this madness.

"Alice is better than the people we hire to teach etiquette," he shrugged. "And I thought you'd feel more comfortable with her around."

"I guess," I sighed, giving in.

He stared into my eyes for an immeasurable amount of time and I started to squirm, feeling uncomfortable under his roaming gaze. "I don't want you to change who you are, you know that, right?" he whispered.

I softened, that simple question and statement meaning so much to me. I snuggled up to him, pecking his cheek. "I know."

"Good," he stated firmly, without a trace of a smile, seriousness masking his daunting eyes. "People are going to judge you Bella, and say some hurtful things, but just remember that to me, you're perfect; I couldn't ask for anyone else."

My heart constricted, painful beat after beat taking place. The oxygen felt like it left my body, his words hitting me like a bulldozer. They were so honest and heartfelt, that my emotions went into overdrive. Tears started brimming at my eyes as I tried to stutter out a response.

"Bella," he sighed, moving his arm to wipe at the few loose tears that fell. "Honey, don't cry. I can't stand it when you cry."

"Why is mommy crying, daddy?" Rae questioned, momentarily forgetting about her Barbies.

Edward looked at me questioningly as well and I broke out into a cheesy smile. "Mommy's crying because she's so incredibly happy, Rae. Daddy makes mommy feel like a queen."

"Oh," Rae said, her eyes darting back and forth between Edward and me. "Well, when daddy makes me happy I always laugh, not cry." She sounded so confused, her eyebrows burrowed in concentration.

"Sometimes people cry because not even a smile can measure up to the amount of happiness they are feeling; it's a way to let out your emotions," I tried to explain.

Rae nodded her head, before lying her head down on Edward's chest. "Will you tell me what you told mommy, daddy? I want to see if I cry, too," Rae demanded.

"Of course, princess. Ready?"

"Hold on!" Rae exclaimed, scooting off of Edward. "Mommy, you need to move."

"Move?" I questioned, unsure of my daughter's intentions.

"Mhmm." Rae nodded her head and flourished her hands around, scurrying me away from my spot next to Edward. "I'm going to pretend to be you and you have to pretend to be me. So I lay next to daddy and you have to get on top of him like I was."

I choked on a laugh. Rae's demand was innocent from her perspective, but in reality, I would be straddling Edward in front of our daughter.

Ducking my head to hide the blush, I peeked at Edward from under my eyelashes; he, of course, was smirking. "Bella, I believe our daughter asked you to come sit on me. It'd be a shame to disappoint her."

My blush darkened and spread all over my body. I could feel my neck burning, but I complied, scooting down Edward's body to his waist. I placed my two hands on his chest and got up on my knees, swinging my right leg over him.

Immediately his hand grabbed my upper thigh under the pretense of "helping" me. When my right knee was on his other side, I let myself sit comfortably on him. His other hand took a place on my left thigh and together his hands slowly and achingly slid up until they were low on my waist.

"You comfortable?" he asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Mmm," I grinned. "Very."

He shifted a little under my weight, scooting me further down his body, his hands dipping dangerously close to my bottom. "Good," he whispered. "Now so am I."

I hid a smile, knowing all too well the implications behind that statement.

"That took a long time," Rae stated, clearly impatient.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Edward grinned, tracing patterns low on my hip with his thumbs. "Mommy just had a bump to overcome," he stated innocently.

My mouth hung open at his words. Of course, Rae didn't take it to mean anything but by the way his smirk had enlarged and the laughter dancing in his eyes, it was clear as to what "bump" I really had to overcome.

"Don't worry, Rae," I smiled sweetly. "It wasn't a very big one; just something small."

"Okay, mommy," Rae agreed, not knowing that I had insulted Edward; it was time his ego be brought down, even if I had to do it through lying.

Edward looked at me with raised eyebrows, amusement glittering in his eyes. "Just something small?" he questioned. I could tell he was trying not to be offended.

I shrugged my shoulders in response, not fully answering him. "Rae, you ready?" I asked, instead.

"Yep!" she sang, bouncing around on the bed. "Let's do this."

Edward turned his attention away from me, that speculative look still haunting his eyes while he spoke the exact lines to Rae. "People are going to judge you Rae, and say some hurtful things, but just remember that to me, you're perfect; I couldn't ask for anyone else."

"Really?" Rae asked, a smile breaking out on her face.

I chuckled, knowing Rae had already forgotten the reason Edward said that to her.

"Really, princess," Edward grinned.

"You're perfect too, daddy. And besides mommy, _I_ couldn't ask for anyone else either!"

Edward and I both exchanged a look of pure adoration for our daughter. "How about you go have your nanny help you get washed up and ready? You're mommy is going to see Aunt Alice and you get to meet your cousin, Emily."

"Okay," Rae agreed, bouncing out of the bed and running out of the room.

"Careful!" I shouted, knowing how excited she could get that she would simply forget to put one foot in front of the other, before turning back to Edward. "Now," I whispered, trailing a finger down Edward's chest. "Please tell me you don't refer to that girl as 'the nanny'. You do know her name, don't you?"

Edward looked bashful for a second before sitting up on his elbows. "I don't know the name of Rae's nanny, but I think I have an idea as to who _my_ nanny is," Edward smirked.

"Really?" I questioned.

"Mhmm," he grinned, bringing one hand up to my face to begin tracing the outline of my lips. "She's incredibly beautiful and her name is Bella. I was hoping she could…take care…of me."

His fingers tingled against my skin, leaving a trail of scorching passion. He dragged his thumb across my bottom lip, before letting it slide down to my jaw line.

"Maybe you could help me get washed up…in the shower," he suggested, moving his finger down my neck, squiggling patterns dangerously lower.

As much as I was temped to, already knowing how hot he was making me, I moved his hand away from me, opting to lay my head on his chest.

"Edward," I warned, propping my head up by my chin.

"Am I being a bad boy?" he grinned, moving his hands to my waist and slipping them underneath my shirt.

I laughed, knowing where this was going. "Yes, but I'm sorry to say I will not be punishing you for it."

He pouted, running his hands under my bra strap. "But what if I want to be punished?" he asked.

"Well," I grinned, scooting further up him, placing my lips dangerously close to his.

"Yes?" he whispered huskily.

I ran my fingers through his hair, before bringing my hands down to his face, cupping it. "How's this for torture?" I asked.

"Mmm, I'm liking it," he told me, bringing his face closer to mine.

I laughed, moving away. "Torture, Edward, remember?"

He groaned, letting his head fall back down on the pillows. I sat up, grinning at him; he had asked for it, after all.

I stopped laughing, suddenly taken aback. Edward had leaned over, hooking his leg around my body so he was now hovering above me.

"Bella, I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast," he whispered, tucking a lock of my hair behind my hair, kissing the spot next to my ear. "Whenever you're ready, so am I," he continued, his breath sending heat waves through my ear and spreading all over my body. All I could do was nod my head. "If it's tomorrow, or if it's a year from now, know that I'm willing to wait for you."

"That sounds like a huge commitment, Edward," I murmured.

"Yes, it is, but I'm tired of playing around. I don't want to scare you, Bella, but I do see us going somewhere in the future. I'd like to start that by adopting Rae," he said, uncertainty lacing his voice.

I laid there, stunned. We'd known each other for less than a week and were already moving in with him. Now he wanted to adopt?

"Do you always move this fast in relationships?" I questioned.

"Never, Bella," he whispered, kissing me passionately. "Everyone else was either for my pleasure or for the press. You've been the only one that matters to _me_ and that's all I care about."

"How much would it disappoint you if I asked you to wait a little bit? Just to make sure this is real and I'm not going to wake up any second."

"I already told you I'd wait forever. This isn't a dream, Bella; this is life, albeit a fortunate one, it is still _our_ life," he stated firmly.

I smiled sadly. "You're unbelievable," I whispered, leaning up to kiss him fully.

He welcomed the kiss, deepening it with his tongue. I moaned into his mouth, loving how we were alone and finally able to explore our physical attraction to one another.

Suddenly, Edward pulled away, leaving my lips puckered out for his. It was like a warm coat being taken away in freezing temperatures; I needed his lips back on mine.

"Edward?" I questioned.

"I know all of your things won't be moved in until Friday, but please stay with me tonight. We could watch movies with Rae and tuck her in together. We could read stories to her before she falls asleep and then quietly sneak back to our room where we'll lay together, enjoying each other's company and warmth, maybe even pleasure each other if only in small ways. I know I said I'd wait forever, Bella, and I will, but I don't think I can wait until Friday for you to be in this bed with me. Please tell me you'll say yes?" he asked, his tone a mixture of pure lust and want, although for different reasons.

"Yes," I grinned, leaning up to hook my arms around his neck and bringing my legs around his waist.

"Good," he grinned, his smile so radiant it could rival that of the sun's.

We went back to sweetly exploring each other, me running my hands across his well-defined chest, as he swept his arms up and down my back, setting fire to every place he touched.

"Don't we have to start getting ready for Alice's?" I asked, forgetting that his family was expecting us.

"I'm more than ready," he whispered huskily, "just not for Alice's."

I pecked him on the lips, staring deep into his eyes with adoration. "You are an incredibly horny prince," I grinned.

He sat up, moving me to his lap, lovingly running his fingers through my hair. "Speaking about getting horny," he persisted, his voice tickling my ear. "Am I really a _small_ bump?"

I laughed out loud, my head falling back, my eyes meeting his questioning gaze. "You of all people, should know the answer to that," I replied.

"Oh, but please enlighten me on your opinion, my gorgeous goddess."

I rolled my eyes, not able to hide my smile at his obvious sucking up tactic. "Would you like me to sugar coat it?" I asked sweetly.

"Not at all," he whispered, kissing me quickly.

"Then I'd have to say you're not small."

"That's it? That's all I get?" he pouted. "How about you tell me how small I'm _not_?"

"Okay," I agreed, turning around in his lap to place my head on his shoulder. "You're so large that ants crawling up you would consider your manhood to be the size of Mount Everest," I laughed, teasing him.

"That big?" he grinned gloriously, obviously proud of himself.

I nodded my head, his own happiness dictating mine. "That _huge_," I offered.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against him. "And how would you feel about punishing this _big_ boy?" he asked, kissing my jaw line and occasionally flicking his tongue out, adding to the alluring sensation.

"I don't punish," I reminded him, smirking. "I torture."

**A/N: **I am going to be gone for a week with no Internet so I won't be able to update, write, email, PM, or respond to reviews until I get back. So hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for it and I will come back to a flooded email inbox. (;

Also, as you know, I've been sick for a while now and the new medication combined with therapy has made me extremely weak and exhausted so out of the 80 or so reviews submitted, I answered about 5. **I'm so sorry! This chapter I promise to respond to everyone.** Please do try, though, to leave worthwhile reviews. I appreciate everyone but it's hard to respond to one that simply says 'Great job', eh?

And for those who check out my livejournal, I changed the settings per a request so now everyone can comment on my little entries. (;

As always, to my lovely **Cookie League**sisters and to **SillyLily619**—she is the reason you get chapters, LOL!


	13. 12

_Last Time: _"I don't punish," I reminded him, smirking. "I torture."

**A/N: InsatiableHanner **is not only a genius, but a sweetheart! She nominated this story for the Twilight Awards so please go check out their site! But we do have another genius—**SmileEdwardLuvsYhoo**. It's 'mummy' not 'mommy' but I'm going to stick with 'mommy' simply because I'm American and that's the easiest way for me to write!

**:IMPORTANT NOTE: **Once again, there are suggestive themes in this chapter. Sorry it took so long. I do hope to have another one up tomorrow or the day after that. And once again, this chapter moves quickly, but seriously I could not help it! After finishing writing this chapter, I really don't like it…hopefully you do.

**12**

"You look so damn sexy in your silky tight dress, Bella," Edward whispered huskily to me, lightly trailing his fingers down my arms while I tried to sit still in the stiff-backed chair. "It makes me wonder how damn sexy you'll look with_out_ it," he continued, now puckering light, open-mouthed kisses along my neck.

I couldn't help it. I squirmed, trying to relieve some of the built up tension that his words alone had caused. I moaned and shivered as his hands crept lower and lower, going past my waistline. His kisses now included his tongue, to which he would swirl patterns across my skin, leaving a fiery hot, yet ironically wet, path.

"I said to tease her, Edward, not torture her!" Alice exclaimed, shaking her head from across the table.

"Mmm," he smiled, stepping away from me to which I immediately whimpered. "I couldn't help myself."

"Obviously," Alice said, throwing her hands up in the air while simultaneously rolling her eyes.

"If only you knew how intoxicating she was…" Edward trailed off, smirking slightly.

Alice looked exasperated. "I don't _want_ to know, Edward," Alice sighed. "I'm into Jazz for a reason," she huffed. "He's male!"

The last part of the sentence threw Jasper's sideways grin off-kilter. "Feelings, Alice. I do have them," he muttered glumly.

"Oh, that's not what I meant!" Alice exclaimed. "But we're getting off topic. Bella needs some major help."

"What kind of help?" Emmett grinned. "Because if we're talking about quick sexual arousal time, Edward's already helped Bella with that plenty."

Rosalie huffed, exiting the room with her usual grace. From the beginning, she hadn't wanted to help, but Alice insisted that I should have as many people at the table as possible so it would be as realistic as possible.

Right now we were working on proper etiquette during meals, and Edward was turning out to be quite the distraction. Alice insisted I would get used to roaming hands and searing kisses and that if I could, I would be prepared for anything. Well, I couldn't and didn't get used to them. And I thought _I_ was the one who did the torturing.

"Bella, let's take a break and work on your wardrobe!" Alice said cheerily, clapping her hands together.

"Um…no?"

Alice's face took on a look of confusion. "No to the name Bella? No to taking a break? No to working? I don't understand…"

"No to the wardrobe," I said cautiously.

"But…but that was the most important part of the sentence," Alice sputtered in disbelief.

"Bella doesn't like anything materialistic," Edward muttered darkly, explaining my aversion to Alice.

"Not a _thing_?" Alice cautioned, almost afraid of hearing the answer.

I shook my head uneasily. "Everything I make goes to savings for Rae," I quickly stated.

Alice seemed to contemplate that before narrowing her eyes at Edward. "You mean you make her pay for things on her own?" Alice yelled outraged. "You're a freaking billionaire, Edward!"

I stared at Edward with shocked eyes, now squirming under everyone's scrutiny. Billionaire? Not possible. I refused to believe it.

"Just in assets, Bella," Edward explained before turning back to his sister. "And she refuses to let me pay for almost anything except an occasional toy for Rae here and there."

"Occasion toy?" I scoffed. "He spent about two hundred thousand dollars on _two_ toys and he just wanted to give them to her! It's ridiculous," I ended quietly as looks of disbelief crossed their faces.

"I spent two hundred thousand just yesterday on new landscaping," Emmett said, as if now that meant the amount of money should be reduced to an equivalent of a penny.

"Yes, well, Edward will never be spending that much…ever," I said warningly, glancing at my filthy rich prince of a boyfriend.

Edward scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat, looking down at the table.

"Edward…"

His eyes snapped up to mine. "I didn't spend two hundred thousand dollars…I promise!"

"Then why are you looking like I'll turn all seventeenth century on you and put your head on the chopping block?" I asked curiously.

"Because I might have spent _more_ than that…"

"Edward!" I yelled, my eyes widening to unbelievable proportions.

"Deny him sex for a year, Bella!" Emmett grinned.

Edward growled and about jumped Emmett while I screamed at both of them to stop. "If this is how you behave, Edward, then why the hell am I the one who needs etiquette lessons?"

"I'm sorry!" Edward pleaded, looking very much like a little boy instead of the man who was next in line for the thrown.

"What did you spend it on, Edward?" I demanded.

"A house."

"You already have one," I replied, my mood darkening murderously.

"And now I've sold it, staff included."

"Can you even _do_ that?" I questioned.

Edward looked at me, tilting his head as if my question was the oddest thing to ever come out of my mouth. "That's right," I muttered dryly. "_You_ can."

"So you're not upset?"

"Not that much," I sighed, glancing up at him. "I always thought your place was too big anyway."

"Really?" he asked nervously. "I always thought it was a little small…"

"Oh my God! Please tell me you didn't!"

"He did," Alice squealed, jumping out of her chair. "And Rose and I have already furnished it for you, moved all of Rae's things there, and—" she paused, saddling closer to me—"I put some special lotions and lingerie in the ultra-romantic master bedroom so you two can christen it."

I burned bright red out of embarrassment, but mostly out of anger.

"How much?" I demanded, tears building up in my eyes. To use Edward's words from earlier, it was the principle of the situation. I didn't mind gifts—I honestly didn't. But I did when they cost hundreds of dollars.

"Bella," Edward sighed, moving closer to me so he could wrap his arms around my waist.

"No!" I said forcefully, pushing him away from me. "Damn it, Edward, tell me how much."

"Fifty million," he muttered, his gaze cast on the marble floor below us. Maybe he was hoping to go all _Alice In Wonderland_ on me, and fall into a magical hole. But, oh no! He was so going to pay.

I about fainted at that ridiculously disgusting amount of money. "And you thought buying a lavish mansion was a better way to spend your money than donating it to some charity?"

"Bella, of course not," he sighed, now firmly holding me to him. "I just wanted us to have a fresh start and I thought a new house would be perfect."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, though my hands were still balled up into fists with his shirt being their target. "That was sweet of you," I muttered, trying to rectify the situation. Edward sighed in relief, thinking he had gotten out of another one of his shopping-escapades. "But I'm not moving in with you if you keep that monstrosity of a house," I proclaimed.

"I'm telling you, Bella. Denying him sex will definitely move the negotiation stages along much faster," Emmett barked out.

Edward glared while Alice stared daggers at Emmett. "Emmett, if you make one more comment toward them I'm going to make you wear a pink hat to the next royal engagement," Alice threatened. "Now, let's leave them in peace," she instructed, leading Jasper and Emmett out of the extravagantly decorated dining room.

"Bella?" Edward asked silently as the door closed behind them.

I turned back around to face him, looking at his contorted face. "Yeah?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Really?" I questioned with raised eyebrows. "Because you always seem sorry. You apologize about buying all this expensive _crap_ and then you go and do it again."

"I know, I know," he cooed, taking me gently into his arms once more. "And all I can do is apologize. I'm sorry that I want nothing but the best for you," he sighed.

I lifted my head off his chest to stare at him. "Don't you get it? It isn't about all those things. I just want to be happy, Edward, and I'm happy when I'm with you. I can only imagine the size of a fifty million dollar mansion and I can't bear having Rae get lost in it or being in different _wings_."

"You have a point," he murmured gently, placing small, tingling kisses by my ear.

"How crazy would it be for me, the broke commoner, to demand that you, a wealthy and privileged prince, go on a budget?" I asked, quirking my eyebrows playfully.

"As long as you don't take Emmett's suggestion, I think that'd be fine," he smirked.

I slapped his chest. "We haven't even done it once!"

"Exactly," he grinned, pressing his lips to mine and licking at my bottom lip, just begging for entrance. I sighed happily, slowly letting my lips open until his tongue found his way deep inside the caves of my mouth, exploring it like he had never discovered it before. "Bella?" he breathed heavily, still peppering kisses on my mouth.

"Hmm?" I asked, all too eager to shut him up and get back to his deliciously tempting kisses.

"I love you."

"You're not saying that just so I'll forgive you?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"I thought I already was forgiven," he pouted.

"As soon as you sell that house and find a reasonable house, you're not totally forgiven." Edward sighed dejectedly. "And you definitely won't be getting any until we move into our moderately sized home," I added.

He immediately pushed me off of him and grabbed his cell phone. "I'm just going to go call the realtor," he muttered, dialing frantically.

I laughed at his eagerness and watched as he practically ran out of the room. I exited, hoping to go find Rae somewhere in this palace.

"Mommy!" Rae screamed, running over to me while tripping on her too-long dress.

"Hey, sweetie," I smiled, picking her up into my arms in one fluid motion. I quickly became panicked when I saw little wet mounds rolling down her cheeks. "What's wrong, Rae?" I asked hurriedly, taking us back into the dining room so we could be out of the prying eyes of the staff.

"Is it true that when you and daddy have another baby, they'll be more important to you?" she sniffled, wiping some loose tears.

"Of course not, baby. Who gave you that idea?" I asked, overlooking the fact how easily I assumed Edward and I would have a baby.

"Emily," Rae muttered. "She said that because daddy isn't my daddy that I'll never be a princess." I was about to open my mouth to retort that statement when Rae spoke hysterically. "It doesn't even make sense! My daddy _is_ my daddy. I don't get it…"

"Rae, calm down for mommy, okay?" When Rae nodded, I continued on. "Daddy is your real daddy, I promise. You do have a different father, though, meaning you don't have any of daddy's features."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Rae asked, anger and frustration apparent.

"Nope," I smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. "Your father doesn't even know you. He didn't even know me. Your dad, though…Edward, he loves you with his whole heart, Rae. So you see, having a daddy is a lot more special than having a father."

"And my daddy is Edward?"

"Yes," I smiled.

"And my daddy is a real prince?"

"An arrogant one, but, yes, he is a prince," I supplied cautiously, not wanting Rae to get the idea that just because her dad was a prince, she could act better than everyone else.

"And so I'm a princess?" she squealed, obviously wanting to deflect Emily's statement.

"No," Edward whispered, sneaking up behind us. I jumped, his hands circling around my waist to place a light kiss on my neck.

"Why not?" Rae asked, putting her hands out so Edward could take her in his arms.

"Why not?" he asked incredulously, tickling her sides. "Because I refuse to share _my_ little princess with the rest of the world."

Rae's smile lit up her face and she cupped her hands around Edward's neck, resting her head under his chin.

"Now, do you want to tell me why my little princess was crying?" Edward asked, his tone playful for Rae but with an undertone of angry suspicion.

"Emily doesn't like me," Rae sighed, leaning her head back so she could see Edward's face.

"How could she not?" he mused.

"I don't know!" Rae exclaimed. "Mommy loves me, grandpa loves me, you love me. A lot of people love me," Rae spoke, causing Edward and I to laugh at her contemplation.

"You know what I think it is, Rae?" Edward teased.

"No…" Rae said, leaning in eagerly.

"I think she's jealous that you have a mom who is absolutely stunning and breathtaking and genuinely real," he whispered loudly in her ear, his eyes locked with mine, his smile pulled into a smirk.

Rae looked at me with questioning eyes, examining me. "Hmm," Rae sighed. "I don't think that's it, daddy," she said, causing Edward to laugh and me to drop my mouth open teasingly.

"Do you think she's jealous of my handsome features?" Edward quirked.

"No, daddy. Why do you keep on thinking she's jealous because of mommy or yours looks?"

Edward opened his mouth to speak, as if the answer was obvious, but then closed it again, confused that Rae didn't get it right off the bat. I laughed at his baffled expression.

"I think she's just jealous because you're such a cool daddy and mommy is such a nice mommy. Oh, and that we love each other more than Emmett likes to have sex," she grinned.

The first part of her speech was adorable but the second part made me want to chop Emmett's balls off so he could never pleasure in what he loved so much.

"Don't _ever_ say that again," Edward demanded.

"Where did you hear that, Rae?" I asked, praying to God that in her mind sex was just some toy or animal.

"Uncle Emmett was talking to Emily's mom and he said 'I love you more than I like to have sex…that must count for something'. I thought it was sweet of him," Rae beamed.

Edward growled while I smiled weakly.

"So you see?" Rae continued. "I think Emily's jealous because Uncle Emmett loves Rosalie more than her, but I know that daddy loves me more than you, mommy and that mommy loves me more than you, daddy," she grinned.

"I do love you, princess," Edward smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Me, too, Rae," I laughed, glad her innocence was still somewhat intact.

"And I love your mommy," Edward said seriously, snaking his arm around my waist and bringing me flush again his side. "Very much," he whispered, placing two kisses on my closed eyelids.

Sighing, I opened them up, leaning away from him so I could see his face clearly. "And I love your daddy, Rae. So very, very much."

**A/N:** New poll up! Again, it is for a personal reason…just curious. (;

Also, the "house" Edward bought and Bella made him re-sell is on my website…check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks to my Cookie sisters in the **Cookie League** who haven't given up on me and who try to keep me entertained during this time! I love you girls.

Lastly, to **SillyLily619**…she's a true Nazi and has come after me relentlessly until I had this chapter written. Once again, praise and thanks to her!!


	14. Twilight Awards

The **Twilight Awards** begin today. _My Little Princess_ **and** _The New Year's List_ have been nominated in the All-Human round. _My Little Princess_ is up for **Most Creative (incomplete)** and **Best Human Edward (incomplete)**. _The New Year's List_ is up for **Best Comedy (incomplete)**.

If you like either of these stories more than their competitors (eh…not likely) then you can go and vote for them!! Voting is open and I have a link on my profile that will direct you to the voting page.

On a side note, I really didn't like the last chapter of MLP but I am still hoping to put another update out for it today or tomorrow!

And all you TNYL lovers…be patient. (; I'm working on it!


	15. AN

**A/N: **I have been getting many PMs and reviews asking if I will be updating, if I can beta, etc. I wanted to address each of these since I haven't been able to answer them personally.

No, I cannot beta for anyone. I'm sick and have time to only do so much.

No, I most likely will not be updating _The New Year's List_ or my other story (which I can't even remember the name of right now)!

But, yes, I will be updating _My Little Princess_ I just don't know when. I have worked on a little bit of it and only have about two pages of it done so bear with me it still might be awhile.

Hopefully this A/N helps to answer your questions and give you renewed hope. (:


	16. Youtube and Twitter

So…to sum it up I am a liar. :( This story is pretty much officially discontinued. I'm so sorry. BUT, if this is any condolence at all, I have set my sights on a new fanbase and passion: makeup and beauty.

Please follow me on twitter for updates (who knows, I might come back to this story?) and please subscribe to my youtube channel for updates as well as beauty tips, tricks, and secrets.

TWITTER: www . twitter . com / aniellenicole

YOUTUBE: www . / user / aniellenicole

Copy and paste links and then undo spacing between characters. Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for all your love and support – sending it right back to you!


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